Measurement and comparison of individual external doses of high-school students living in Japan, France, Poland and Belarus-the 'D-shuttle' project

Twelve high schools in Japan (of which six are in Fukushima Prefecture), four in France, eight in Poland and two in Belarus cooperated in the measurement and comparison of individual external doses in 2014. In total 216 high-school students and teachers participated in the study. Each participant wore an electronic personal dosimeter 'D-shuttle' for two weeks, and kept a journal of his/her whereabouts and activities. The distributions of annual external doses estimated for each region overlap with each other, demonstrating that the personal external individual doses in locations where residence is currently allowed in Fukushima Prefecture and in Belarus are well within the range of estimated annual doses due to the terrestrial background radiation level of other regions/countries.

An automated method for detecting architectural distortions on mammograms using direction analysis of linear structures

Architectural distortion is one of the most important findings when evaluating mammograms for breast cancer. Abnormal breast architecture is characterized by the presence of spicules, which are distorted mammary structures that are not accompanied by an increased density or mass. We have been developing an automated method for detecting spiculated architectural distortions by analyzing linear structures extracted by normal curvature. However, some structures that are possibly related to distorted areas are not extracted using this method. The purpose of this study was to develop a new automated method for direction analysis of linear structures to improve detection performance in mammography. The direction of linear structures in each region of interest (ROI) was first determined using a direction filter and a background filter that can define one of eight directions (0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, 90°, 112.5°, 135°, and 157.5°). The concentration and isotropic indexes were calculated using the determined direction of the linear structures in order to extract the candidate areas. Discriminant analysis was performed to eliminate false positives results. Our database consisted of 168 abnormal images containing 174 distorted areas and 580 normal images. The sensitivity of the new method was 81%. There were 2.6 and 4.2 false positives per image using the new and previous methods, respectively. These findings show that our new method is effective for detecting spiculated architectural distortions.

MAVEN observations of the response of Mars to an interplanetary coronal mass ejection

Coupling between the lower and upper atmosphere, combined with loss of gas from the upper atmosphere to space, likely contributed to the thin, cold, dry atmosphere of modern Mars. To help understand ongoing ion loss to space, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft made comprehensive measurements of the Mars upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind during an interplanetary coronal mass ejection impact in March 2015. Responses include changes in the bow shock and magnetosheath, formation of widespread diffuse aurora, and enhancement of pick-up ions. Observations and models both show an enhancement in escape rate of ions to space during the event. Ion loss during solar events early in Mars history may have been a major contributor to the long-term evolution of the Mars atmosphere.

Early MAVEN Deep Dip campaign reveals thermosphere and ionosphere variability

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, during the second of its Deep Dip campaigns, made comprehensive measurements of martian thermosphere and ionosphere composition, structure, and variability at altitudes down to ~130 kilometers in the subsolar region. This altitude range contains the diffusively separated upper atmosphere just above the well-mixed atmosphere, the layer of peak extreme ultraviolet heating and primary reservoir for atmospheric escape. In situ measurements of the upper atmosphere reveal previously unmeasured populations of neutral and charged particles, the homopause altitude at approximately 130 kilometers, and an unexpected level of variability both on an orbit-to-orbit basis and within individual orbits. These observations help constrain volatile escape processes controlled by thermosphere and ionosphere structure and variability.

Growth differentiation factor-15 encodes a novel microRNA 3189 that functions as a potent regulator of cell death

According to the latest version of miRBase, approximately 30% of microRNAs (miRNAs) are unique to primates, but the physiological function of the vast majority remains unknown. In this study, we identified miR-3189 as a novel, p53-regulated, primate-specific miRNA embedded in the intron of the p53-target gene GDF15. Antagonizing miR-3189 increased proliferation and sensitized cells to DNA damage-induced apoptosis, suggesting a tumor suppressor function for endogenous miR-3189. Identification of genome-wide miR-3189 targets revealed that miR-3189 directly inhibits the expression of a large number of genes involved in cell cycle control and cell survival. In addition, miR-3189 downregulated the expression of multiple p53 inhibitors resulting in elevated p53 levels and upregulation of several p53 targets including p21 (CDKN1A), GADD45A and the miR-3189 host gene GDF15, suggesting miR-3189 auto-regulation. Surprisingly, miR-3189 overexpression in p53-/- cells upregulated a subset of p53-targets including GDF15, GADD45A, and NOXA, but not CDKN1A. Consistent with these results, overexpression of miR-3189 potently induced apoptosis and inhibited tumorigenicity in vivo in a p53-independent manner. Collectively, our study identified miR-3189 as a novel, primate-specific miRNA whose effects are mediated by both p53-dependent and p53-independent mechanisms. miR-3189 may, therefore, represent a novel tool that can be utilized therapeutically to induce a potent proapoptotic effect even in p53-deficient tumors.

First Observation of CP Violation in B[over ¯]^{0}→D_{CP}^{(*)}h^{0} Decays by a Combined Time-Dependent Analysis of BABAR and Belle Data

We report a measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry of B[over ¯]^{0}→D_{CP}^{(*)}h^{0} decays, where the light neutral hadron h^{0} is a π^{0}, η, or ω meson, and the neutral D meson is reconstructed in the CP eigenstates K^{+}K^{-}, K_{S}^{0}π^{0}, or K_{S}^{0}ω. The measurement is performed combining the final data samples collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance by the BABAR and Belle experiments at the asymmetric-energy B factories PEP-II at SLAC and KEKB at KEK, respectively. The data samples contain (471±3)×10^{6} BB[over ¯] pairs recorded by the BABAR detector and (772±11)×10^{6} BB[over ¯] pairs recorded by the Belle detector. We measure the CP asymmetry parameters -η_{f}S=+0.66±0.10(stat)±0.06(syst) and C=-0.02±0.07(stat)±0.03(syst). These results correspond to the first observation of CP violation in B[over ¯]^{0}→D_{CP}^{(*)}h^{0} decays. The hypothesis of no mixing-induced CP violation is excluded in these decays at the level of 5.4 standard deviations.

Discovery of τ Neutrino Appearance in the CNGS Neutrino Beam with the OPERA Experiment

The OPERA experiment was designed to search for ν_{μ}→ν_{τ} oscillations in appearance mode, i.e., by detecting the τ leptons produced in charged current ν_{τ} interactions. The experiment took data from 2008 to 2012 in the CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso beam. The observation of the ν_{μ}→ν_{τ} appearance, achieved with four candidate events in a subsample of the data, was previously reported. In this Letter, a fifth ν_{τ} candidate event, found in an enlarged data sample, is described. Together with a further reduction of the expected background, the candidate events detected so far allow us to assess the discovery of ν_{μ}→ν_{τ} oscillations in appearance mode with a significance larger than 5σ.

Teletriage for patients with traumatic finger injury directing emergency medical transportation services to appropriate hospitals: a pilot project in Nagoya City, Japan

INTRODUCTION

Emergency medical technicians in Japan have experienced difficulties in identifying hospitals that will accept patients with severe finger injuries. We developed and managed a system named Interactive Teletriage using mobile phone photos to aid efficient patient transportation. The aim of this study was to investigate features related to the transportation of patients with severe finger injuries and to evaluate the feasibility of this system.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We prospectively analysed data from the medical association of Aichi Prefecture and the Nagoya City Fire Department in Japan. We investigated features related to the transportation of 474 patients with severe finger injuries in Nagoya from 2010 to 2013: 100 in 2010, 134 in 2011, 125 in 2012, and 115 in 2013. We began using Teletriage in August 2011 and compared the periods before and after its implementation.

RESULTS

The time of injury showed two different peaks from 09:00 to 11:00h and at 13:00h. The number of patients injured during each weekday was generally the same, while cases on Saturdays and Sundays reflected 70% and 47% of the weekday average, respectively. Of the 474 patients, 395 (83%) were accepted to hospitals after 3 or fewer requests for admission: 160 of 202 (79.2%) before and 235 of 272 (86.4%) after Teletriage, constituting a significant increase (p=0.039). Furthermore, the number of patients who required 4 or more requests significantly decreased after implementation of Teletriage (p=0.039): 42 patients (20.8%) before and 37 (13.6%) after Teletriage. Our data showed that as the number of requests until final determination increased, the transportation period increased. Furthermore, the mean transportation period significantly decreased from 22.3min before to 18.1min after Teletriage (p=0.021). As the number of requests until final determination increased, the proportion of patients transported to Level I and II hospitals decreased; conversely, the proportion of patients transported to Level III, IV, and V hospitals increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that the implementation of Teletriage has the potential to ease the problem of emergency medical transportation for those with severe finger injuries.

Clinical significance of ERG rearrangement subtype and its association with increased p53 expression in Japanese and German prostate cancer

This study investigated differences in prevalence of the androgen-regulated transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and ETS transcription factor family member, v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) fusion gene (TMPRSS2-ERG fusions) in clinically localized prostate cancer Japanese and German patients. A total of 105 specimens, including 69 Japanese and 36 German patients, were collected. The status of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and correlations of the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion with clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemistry were studied. Gene fusions were identified in 20% (14/69) of Japanese and 53% (19/36) of German patients (P < 0.001). The difference in the type of gene fusion between the two ethnic groups was statistically significant (P=0.024). Overexpression of ERG protein was significantly associated with gene fusion. Biochemical recurrence was significantly higher in patients with ERG overexpression than in those without, and not related to TMPRSS2-ERG fusion status. Interestingly, two types of gene fusions (deletion and increase of copy number) were significantly associated with increased p53 expression (P = 0.005). Association of specific gene fusions harboring higher genomic alterations with p53 expression levels suggests that p53 mutation might drive more aggressive arrangements of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion in prostate cancer.

KEYWORDS

ERG, p53, prostate cancer, TMPRSS2-ERG fusion.

Use of intraspecific variation in thermal responses for estimating an elevational cline in the timing of cold hardening in a sub-boreal conifer

To avoid winter frost damage, evergreen coniferous species develop cold hardiness with suitable phenology for the local climate regime. Along the elevational gradient, a genetic cline in autumn phenology is often recognised among coniferous populations, but further quantification of evolutionary adaptation related to the local environment and its responsible signals generating the phenological variation are poorly understood. We evaluated the timing of cold hardening among populations of Abies sachalinensis, based on time series freezing tests using trees derived from four seed source populations × three planting sites. Furthermore, we constructed a model to estimate the development of hardening from field temperatures and the intraspecific variations occurring during this process. An elevational cline was detected such that high-elevation populations developed cold hardiness earlier than low-elevation populations, representing significant genetic control. Because development occurred earlier at high-elevation planting sites, the genetic trend across elevation overlapped with the environmental trend. Based on the trade-off between later hardening to lengthen the active growth period and earlier hardening to avoid frost damage, this genetic cline would be adaptive to the local climate. Our modelling approach estimated intraspecific variation in two model components: the threshold temperature, which was the criterion for determining whether the trees accumulated the thermal value, and the chilling requirement for trees to achieve adequate cold hardiness. A higher threshold temperature and a lower chilling requirement could be responsible for the earlier phenology of the high-elevation population. These thermal responses may be one of the important factors driving the elevation-dependent adaptation of A. sachalinensis.