Sequential Nature of (p,3p) Two-Proton Knockout from Neutron-Rich Nuclei

Twenty-one two-proton knockout (p,3p) cross sections were measured from neutron-rich nuclei at ∼250  MeV/nucleon in inverse kinematics. The angular distribution of the three emitted protons was determined for the first time, demonstrating that the (p,3p) kinematics are consistent with two sequential proton-proton collisions within the projectile nucleus. Ratios of (p,3p) over (p,2p) inclusive cross sections follow the trend of other many-nucleon removal reactions, further reinforcing the sequential nature of (p,3p) in neutron-rich nuclei.

Mangrove leaves with outstanding content of free amino acids especially GABA, makes them candidates for functional food

Herbal remedies by using mangrove plants have been recognized in several countries, and the plant materials are often consumed as a tea, which are infusions of dried plant parts steeped in boiling water. These infusions from mangrove plants are believed to be effective agents for treating and/or prevent infections, ailments, and diseases, and some mangrove plants have attracted attention as functional food resources in recent years. To reveal the beneficial properties of mangrove plants, clarification of the chemical ingredient and its characteristics of mangrove plants is required. This study focused on amino acids, which were functional ingredients (i.e., bioactive compounds) because amino acids are expected to function as ‘functional ingredients’ in addition to conventional ‘nutrients’ in recent years. To demonstrate the further possibilities of mangrove tea, we firstly evaluated the content of total amino acids in the leaf of several dominant mangrove species with commercial teas as references. Next, we clarified the composition of amino acids by using LC-MS analysis. As the results, free amino acid content (FAC) in leaf sample of Rhizophora stylosa, Bruguira gymnorrhiza, Kandelia obovata, Avicennia marina, Sonneratia alba, and Lumnitzera racemosa was 747, 1056, 946, 829, 623, and 896 mg/100 g DW, respectively. The FAC in all mangrove leaf samples were higher than those in green tea of low price, black tea, oolong tea, barley tea, and mate tea. Moreover, it was found that GABA accounts for over 10% of the total amino acid in the mangrove leaf samples. Especially in mature leaves of K. obovata, the ratio was very high levels 35%. In the case of K. obovata, the contents were higher than GABA tea. Based on this, we concluded that several mangrove plants, especially K. obovata has the potential of a functional food which is GABA-rich.

Extending the Southern Shore of the Island of Inversion to ^{28}F

Detailed spectroscopy of the neutron-unbound nucleus ^{28}F has been performed for the first time following proton/neutron removal from ^{29}Ne/^{29}F beams at energies around 230  MeV/nucleon. The invariant-mass spectra were reconstructed for both the ^{27}F^{(*)}+n and ^{26}F^{(*)}+2n coincidences and revealed a series of well-defined resonances. A near-threshold state was observed in both reactions and is identified as the ^{28}F ground state, with S_{n}(^{28}F)=-199(6)  keV, while analysis of the 2n decay channel allowed a considerably improved S_{n}(^{27}F)=1620(60)  keV to be deduced. Comparison with shell-model predictions and eikonal-model reaction calculations have allowed spin-parity assignments to be proposed for some of the lower-lying levels of ^{28}F. Importantly, in the case of the ground state, the reconstructed ^{27}F+n momentum distribution following neutron removal from ^{29}F indicates that it arises mainly from the 1p_{3/2} neutron intruder configuration. This demonstrates that the island of inversion around N=20 includes ^{28}F, and most probably ^{29}F, and suggests that ^{28}O is not doubly magic.

Fragmentation of Single-Particle Strength around the Doubly Magic Nucleus ^{132}Sn and the Position of the 0f_{5/2} Proton-Hole State in ^{131}In

Spectroscopic factors of neutron-hole and proton-hole states in ^{131}Sn and ^{131}In, respectively, were measured using one-nucleon removal reactions from doubly magic ^{132}Sn at relativistic energies. For ^{131}In, a 2910(50)-keV γ ray was observed for the first time and tentatively assigned to a decay from a 5/2^{-} state at 3275(50) keV to the known 1/2^{-} level at 365 keV. The spectroscopic factors determined for this new excited state and three other single-hole states provide first evidence for a strong fragmentation of single-hole strength in ^{131}Sn and ^{131}In. The experimental results are compared to theoretical calculations based on the relativistic particle-vibration coupling model and to experimental information for single-hole states in the stable doubly magic nucleus ^{208}Pb.

Cross-section measurement in the reactions of 136Xe on proton, deuteron and carbon

The isotopic production cross sections for the reactions of 136Xe induced by proton, deuteron and carbon at 168 MeV/u were obtained by using the inverse kinematics technique at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. The target dependence of the cross sections was investigated systematically. It was found that for the light-mass products, the cross sections on carbon are larger than those on deuteron and proton. The measured cross sections on proton were compared with the previous data at higher reaction energies to study the energy dependence. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical calculations including both the intranuclear cascade and evaporation processes using PHITS and with the EPAX and SPACS empirical parameterizations.

Hospital volume and five-year survival after cancer surgery in 2007-2011 in Osaka, Japan

Background

The relationship between hospital volume (HV) and patient outcome is well-known evidence, and hospital volume is widely used as a quality indicator. In Japan, however, few studies are available on the associations between HV and survival after cancer surgery. This study aimed at examining the association between HV and longitudinal survival after surgeries of major cancer sites.

Methods

This is a retrospective observational study. Using the Osaka Cancer Registry database, we identified patients who were diagnosed as major sites of cancer (esophageal, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, breast, and uterus cancer) between 2007 and 2011, and undergone surgeries in Osaka. To define the quartiles of HV (high, medium, low, and very low-volume hospitals), we ranked hospitals by annual surgical volume, sorted patients in descending order of HV, and assigned them into four equal-sized groups. The study outcome was five-year survival from the diagnosis. We analyzed the associations between hospital volume and survival among eligible patients aged between 15 and 84 years old, using Cox proportional hazard models. In the models, we adjusted for characteristics of patient and treatment received by the patients.

Results

A sample of 86,867 patients were analyzed. The mortality hazards of patients treated at very low-volume hospitals were 1.4 - 2.1 times higher than that of patients treated at high-volume hospital in all selected cancers. However, absolute differences (percent points) in adjusted survival rates between high- and very low-volume hospitals were varied by cancer site: esophagus (24.2), stomach (14.9), colorectum (11.5), pancreas (9.2), lung (10.8), breast (2.4), and uterus (3.3).

Conclusions

Very low-volume hospitals showed the poorest patient survival after cancer resections. Healthcare quality assessment at lower-volume hospitals and referrals to higher-volume hospitals are potential measures to improve survival of cancer patients.

Key messages

Patients treated at lower-volume hospitals had a higher mortality risk than those treated at higher-volume hospitals. Healthcare quality assessments and effective referrals of high-risk patients are potential interventions to improve patient survival.

Prominence of Pairing in Inclusive (p,2p) and (p,pn) Cross Sections from Neutron-Rich Nuclei

Fifty-five inclusive single nucleon-removal cross sections from medium mass neutron-rich nuclei impinging on a hydrogen target at ∼250  MeV/nucleon are measured at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. Systematically higher cross sections are found for proton removal from nuclei with an even number of protons as compared to odd-proton number projectiles for a given neutron separation energy. Neutron removal cross sections display no even-odd splitting, contrary to nuclear cascade model predictions. Both effects are understood through simple considerations of neutron separation energies and bound state level densities originating in pairing correlations in the daughter nuclei. These conclusions are supported by comparison with semimicroscopic model predictions, highlighting the enhanced role of low-lying level densities in nucleon-removal cross sections from loosely bound nuclei.

Phase Angle Is a Useful indicator for Muscle Function in Older Adults

AIM

Phase angle (PhA) can be determined through bioelectrical impedance analysis and is a unique variable for skeletal muscle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PhA and muscle mass/quality in older adults. In addition, we attempted to determine the cutoff value of PhA for poor muscle function.

METHODS

Community-dwelling Japanese older men (n=285, 81.1±7.1 years) and women (n=724, 80.4±6.8 years) participated in this study and were classified into four groups based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (normal, presarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia). We measured PhA using bioelectrical impedance analysis, muscle quantity and quality indicators using ultrasonography, muscle strength, and physical performance and compared them in four groups. We also tried to determine the cutoff value of PhA for poor muscle function.

RESULTS

We found a significant difference in PhA among the four groups in men (P<0.05), and the dynapenia (3.61±0.75°) and sarcopenia groups (3.40±0.74°) showed significantly lower values than the normal group (4.50±0.86°) (P<0.05), but not the presarcopenia group (4.12±0.85°). In women, a significant difference was also observed among the four groups (P<0.05), and the dynapenia (3.41±0.65°) and sarcopenia groups (3.31±0.66°) showed significantly lower measures than the normal group (4.14±0.71°) (P<0.05), but not the presarcopenia group (4.07±0.51°). The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis indicated the best cutoff value of PhA (men: 4.05°, women: 3.55°) to discriminate sarcopenia and dynapenia from normal and presarcopenia.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that PhA is a useful indicator for muscle function.

Impaired cognitive modification for estimating time duration in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with various cognitive impairments. However, the nature of cognitive modification in patients with PD remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined whether patients with PD could correct and maintain subjective time duration and line length estimation. After training sessions, in which participants repeatedly memorized either a duration or a length, we compared a learning performance in 20 PD patients with 20 healthy controls. In the case of duration in the PD patients, the learned durations immediately returned to baseline of pre-training within a few minutes. However, the patients’ ability to learn length estimation remained unimpaired. In contrast, healthy controls were able to retain the learned duration and length estimations. Time compression in PD's internal clock may become entrained to their altered duration estimation even after learning of accurate time duration. These deficits may be associated with disrupting cognitive modification in PD.

Extraction of the Landau-Migdal Parameter from the Gamow-Teller Giant Resonance in ^{132}Sn

The key parameter to discuss the possibility of the pion condensation in nuclear matter, i.e., the so-called Landau-Migdal parameter g^{'}, was extracted by measuring the double-differential cross sections for the (p,n) reaction at 216  MeV/u on a neutron-rich doubly magic unstable nucleus, ^{132}Sn with the quality comparable to data taken with stable nuclei. The extracted strengths for Gamow-Teller (GT) transitions from ^{132}Sn leading to ^{132}Sb exhibit the GT giant resonance (GTR) at the excitation energy of 16.3±0.4(stat)±0.4(syst)  MeV with the width of Γ=4.7±0.8  MeV. The integrated GT strength up to E_{x}=25  MeV is S_{GT}^{-}=53±5(stat)_{-10}^{+11}(syst), corresponding to 56% of Ikeda's sum rule of 3(N-Z)=96. The present result accurately constrains the Landau-Migdal parameter as g^{'}=0.68±0.07, thanks to the high sensitivity of the GTR energy to g^{'}. In combination with previous studies on the GTR for ^{90}Zr and ^{208}Pb, the result of this work shows the constancy of this parameter in the nuclear chart region with (N-Z)/A=0.11 to 0.24 and A=90 to 208.

Erratum: Persistence of the Z=28 Shell Gap Around ^{78}Ni: First Spectroscopy of ^{79}Cu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 192501 (2017)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.192501.

Face-Inversion Effect on Disgust Evoked by a Cluster of Dots

A cluster of dots such as lotus seed pods evokes extremely strong disgust when it is placed on human and animal skins. However, few empirical studies have examined the role of the background image, such as skin, in the generation of disgust. In this study, we investigated whether the orientation of background faces influences the disgust evoked by the dot pattern. The participants were asked to evaluate disgust to an upright, inverted, or phase-scrambled face image with or without a cluster of dots on it and then complete a questionnaire measuring trypophobia proneness (Trypophobia Questionnaire). The results suggested that disgust was intensified by the background faces, especially by the upright faces. The intensification of disgust in the upright face was correlated positively with the Trypophobia Questionnaire scores. The results indicated a face-inversion effect on the disgust to the dot pattern, suggesting a significant role of the background image.

Development of a Hybrid Artificial Liver using a Polyurethane Foam/Hepatocyte-Spheroid Packed-Bed Module

Primary dog hepatocytes spontaneously formed spheroids in the pores of polyurethane foam (PUF) within 1–2 days of stationary culture. The spheroids, about 100–150 μm in diameter, partly attached to the surface and immobilized inside these pores.

The lidocaine disappearance rate decreased to about 4 μg/105 viable cells/day for 10 days, while in the PUF/spheroid culture the rate was maintained at almost the initial level of 8 μg/105 viable cells/day for 10 days. Then, two scales of PUF packed-bed modules were designed. A small module (PUF volume; 14.5 cm3) was used for in vitro culture to investigate optimum culture conditions, and a large module (PUF volume; 300 cm3) was designed for dog experiments. Hepatocytes inoculated in these modules also formed spheroids and maintained almost the same activity of albumin secretion rate (111 μg/cm3 PUF/day in the small module and 87.7 μg/cm3 PUF/day in the large module). These results indicate that the PUF packed-bed module containing hepatocyte-spheroids is promising as a hybrid artificial liver

Conditions Required for a Hybrid Artificial Liver Support System using a PUF/Hepatocyte-Spheroid Packed-Bed Module and it's use in Dogs with Liver Failure

We studied the effects of a hybrid artificial liver support system we developed on dogs with hepatic failure. The system consisted of a multi-channel polyurethane foam packed-bed culture module, including primary dog hepatocyte spheroids.

Blood ammonia was well metabolized by 20 g hepatocytes, but the other functions such as glucose concentration, total bile acid concentration, and survival time required 30 g hepatocytes to improve conditions. We found that we should use a culture substratum that easily forms spheroids, and that an artificial liver module should be used as soon as possible after spheroid formation by hepatocytes in the module.

Development of the Japanese version of the Visual Discomfort Scale

BACKGROUND

Visual stimuli, such as stripes and texts, can induce "visual discomfort" including perceptual and somatic symptoms. Individuals reporting high levels of visual discomfort might experience migraine headache and may have reduced reading efficiency due to visual perceptual difficulties. This study aimed to develop and validate the Japanese version of the Visual Discomfort Scale, which measures proneness to visual discomfort.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In Survey 1, 428 adults completed the Japanese version and a questionnaire assessing migraine morbidity. Rasch analysis revealed that the Japanese version is a unidimensional scale with a high amount of unexplained variance due to random noise rather than another dimension, and has high person and item reliabilities. Participants with migraine exhibited high scores in the Japanese version, indicating the construct validity of the scale. Survey 2 with 118 adults revealed a strong test-retest correlation for the Japanese version, indicating the stability of the scale.

CONCLUSION

The Japanese version of the Visual Discomfort Scale is a sufficiently reliable and valid scale for assessing visual discomfort, although its unidimensionality leaves room for further improvements.

Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations Are Associated with Muscle Function in Older Japanese Women

BACKGROUND

Although several previous studies have found benefits for amino acid supplementation in terms of muscle function, the role of plasma amino acid concentrations on sarcopenia are not well addressed yet.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the amino acid concentrations at each stage of sarcopenia (normal, pre-sarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia) in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

SETTING AND SUBJECTS

Community-dwelling older Japanese women (n=232, 79.4±7.0 years) participated in this study.

MEASUREMENTS

We measured plasma amino acid concentrations, 5-m walking speed, grip strength, and skeletal muscle mass using a bioelectrical impedance data acquisition system and compared them among participants at each stage of sarcopenia.

RESULTS

The proportions of normal, pre-sarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia patients were 40.5% (n=94), 12.1% (n=28), 26.3% (n=61), and 21.1% (n=49), respectively. Significant differences were observed for concentrations of leucine, branched-chain amino acid (BCAAs), and essential amino acid (EAAs) among the four groups (p<0.05), and the dynapenia and sarcopenia groups showed significantly lower concentrations of leucine than the normal group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicated a positive relationship between plasma leucine, BCAA and EAA concentrations and muscle function. A longitudinal study is needed to determine the causal relationship between leucine/BCAA concentrations and muscle function.

Persistence of the Z=28 Shell Gap Around ^{78}Ni: First Spectroscopy of ^{79}Cu

In-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of ^{79}Cu is performed at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory of RIKEN. The nucleus of interest is produced through proton knockout from a ^{80}Zn beam at 270  MeV/nucleon. The level scheme up to 4.6 MeV is established for the first time and the results are compared to Monte Carlo shell-model calculations. We do not observe significant knockout feeding to the excited states below 2.2 MeV, which indicates that the Z=28 gap at N=50 remains large. The results show that the ^{79}Cu nucleus can be described in terms of a valence proton outside a ^{78}Ni core, implying the magic character of the latter.