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Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a high-dose-intensive radiation therapy that has gained popularity due to advancements in accelerator neutron sources. To determine the dose for BNCT, it is necessary to know the difficult-to-determine boron concentration and neutron fluence. To estimate this dose, we propose a method of measuring the prompt γ-rays (PGs) from the boron neutron capture reaction (BNCR) using a Compton camera. We performed a fundamental experiment to verify basic imaging performance and the ability to discern the PGs from 511 keV annihilation γ-rays. A Si/CdTe Compton camera was used to image the BNCR and showed an energy peak of 478 keV PGs, separate from the annihilation γ-ray peak. The Compton camera could visualize the boron target with low neutron intensity and high boron concentration. This study experimentally confirms the ability of Si/CdTe Compton cameras to image BNCRs.

Rural development and poverty reduction have been one of the main development goals planned by various Indonesian governments. After the fall of the Suharto government, decentralisation was introduced to overcome imbalances in economic development between Java and the outer islands. However, the rural poverty rate and underdevelopment in outer islands of Indonesia still remain an issue which requires scholarly and policy enquiry. This paper draws on my research which I have conducted on the theme of equitable development in Indonesia. I have examined the roles of regional government initiatives, community resource management, Islamic philanthropic organisations, Islamic businesses and microfinance, (social) entrepreneurship, and gender roles. These studies are based on multiple case studies over nearly two decades. I will highlight the major challenges facing contemporary Indonesia and also key strategies which are emerging as sustainable and innovative ways to foster rural innovations.

A Schrödinger-type equation for a heavy quarkonium in terms of the dynamical quark mass is obtained in a quasi-particle approach by Llanes-Estrada and Cotanch. To observe the relationship between the obtained equation and the constituent quark (potential) model equation, we treat the dynamical quark mass by a constant parameter M and expand the equation in 1/M up to order (1/M). The equation reduces to that of the traditional nonrelativistic constituent quark model when a nonlocal interaction is neglected. We investigate the nonrelativistic model where the dynamical quark mass M in the Schrödinger-type equation is treated as a free parameter and call it the quasi-quark (QQ) model. To elucidate the role of the nonlocal interaction and to observe the reliability of the QQ model, we studied the charmonium S-wave states.

The identification of death is critical for epidemiological research. Despite recent developments in health insurance claims databases, the quality of death information in claims is not guaranteed because health insurance claims are collected primarily for reimbursement. We aimed to examine the usefulness and limitations of death information in claims data and to examine methods for improving the quality of death information for aged persons. We used health insurance claims data and enrollment data (as the gold standard) from September 2012 through August 2015 for nondependent persons aged 65–74 years enrolled in Japanese workplace health insurance. Overall, 3,710,538 insured persons were registered in the database during the study period. We analyzed 45,441 eligible persons. Inpatient and outpatient deaths were identified from the discharge/disease status in the claims, with sensitivities of 94.3% and 47.4%, specificities of 98.5% and 99.9%, and PPVs of 96.3% and 95.7%, respectively, using enrollment data as the gold standard. For outpatients, death defined as a combination of disease status and charge data for terminal care still indicated low sensitivity (54.7%). The validity of death information in inpatient claims was high, suggesting its potential usefulness for identifying death. However, given the low sensitivity for outpatient deaths, the use of death information obtained solely from records in outpatient claims is not recommended.

Fifty-one lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were isolated and identified based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence from the intestinal tracts of 142 kuruma shrimps ( Marsupenaeus japonicus ) collected from Kanmon Strait, Fukuoka and Tachibana Bay, Nagasaki, Japan. Cellular immunomodulatory function of 51 isolated LAB strains was assessed by measuring the level of interferon (IFN)-γ induction in mouse spleen cell culture. The strain Lactococcus lactis D1813 exhibited the highest amount of IFN-γ production and also bactericidal activity and was selected for testing its immunomodulatory role as a probiotic in kuruma shrimp. We also assessed the effect of dietary incorporation of this probiotic on resistance to Vibrio penaeicida infection in the kuruma shrimp. Our results demonstrate that probiotic L. lactis D1813-containing diet-fed (10 5 cfu g −1 ) shrimps displayed a significant up-regulation of lysozyme gene expressions in the intestine and hepatopancreas. However, insignificantly higher expression of anti-lipopolysaccharide factor, super oxide dismutase, prophenoloxidase, and toll-like receptor 1 was recorded in the intestine of shrimps fed the probiotic diet. Moreover, significantly increased ( P  < 0.01) resistance to the bacterial pathogen in term of better post-infection survival (61.7 %) was observed in the shrimps fed with the probiotic-incorporated diet compared with the control diet-fed group (28.3 %). The present study indicates the immunomodulatory role of the LAB L. lactis D1813 on the kuruma shrimp immune system and supports its potential use as an effective probiotic in shrimp aquaculture.

Liquid xenon particle detectors rely on excellent light collection efficiency for their performance. This depends on the high reflectivity of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at the xenon scintillation wavelength of 178 nm, but the angular dependence of this reflectivity is not well-understood. IBEX is designed to directly measure the angular distribution of xenon scintillation light reflected off PTFE in liquid xenon. These measurements are fully described by a microphysical reflectivity model with few free parameters. Dependence on PTFE type, surface finish, xenon pressure, and wavelength of incident light is explored. Total internal reflection is observed, which results in the dominance of specular over diffuse reflection and a reflectivity near 100% for high angles of incidence.

Abstract Background The portal vein (PV) diameter increases in humans with portal hypertension (PH). However, there is no evidence of PV enlargement in dogs with PH. Objectives To measure the PV-to-aorta (PV/Ao) ratio in dogs with PH (chronic hepatitis [CH], primary hypoplasia of the PV [PHPV]), in dogs with extrahepatic congenital portosystemic shunt (EH-CPSS), and in healthy dogs, and to evaluate the relationship between PV/Ao ratio and splenic pulp pressure (SPP). Animals Twenty-five dogs with acquired portosystemic collaterals (APSCs; 15 with CH, 10 with PHPV), 32 dogs with EH-CPSS, and 20 healthy dogs. Methods Retrospective study. The PV/Ao ratio was calculated with images obtained by computed tomography. SPP was measured at the time of liver biopsy in 45 dogs. Results Median PV/Ao ratio was similar between dogs with CH (1.35, range 1.05–2.01) and healthy dogs (0.95, 0.80–1.15), but differed significantly between the CH group and both the PHPV (0.40, 0.24–0.67) and EH-CPSS groups (0.30, 0.11–0.64) (P < .001). The PV/Ao ratio was significantly lower in the PHPV group than in healthy dogs (P < .05). It also correlated positively with SPP (rs = 0.71; P < .001). However, there was no intragroup correlation between SPP and the PV/Ao ratio in any group. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The PV/Ao ratio can be evaluated in dogs with APSCs on computed tomography. Further studies are needed to examine the relationship between SPP and the PV/Ao ratio in larger groups of dogs with PH and to determine its clinical relevance.

The physical insight into the Meyer hardness is given on the basis of the experimental results for indentation load P versus indentation depth h relations and of a simple model for elastoplastic contact deformation. The quadratic relationships of P = k1h2 for loading and P = k2(h − hr)2 for unloading with the residual depth of impression hr are essential in the elastoplastic indentation processes and mechanisms. The indentation-induced residual strain energy stored in unloaded impression is properly taken into account. The Meyer hardness is an elastic and plastic parameter that depends not only on the plasticity but also on the elasticity of material indented and significantly depends on the geometry of indenter used. The Meyer hardness is given in terms of the energy consumed to create a residual indentation impression, leading to the concepts of “work of indentation” and “ductility index.”

Background/Objectives:Nursing staff have an important role in patients' nutritional care. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how the practice of sharing a patient's nutritional status with colleagues was affected by the nursing staff's attitude, knowledge and their priority to provide nutritional care.Subjects/Methods:The participants were 492 nursing staff. We obtained participants' demographic data, the practice of sharing patients' nutritional information and information about participants' knowledge, attitude and priority of providing nutritional care by the questionnaire. We performed partial correlation analyses and linear regression analyses to describe the relationship between the total scores of the practice of sharing patients' nutritional information based on their knowledge, attitude and priority to provide nutritional care.Results:Among the 492 participants, 396 nursing staff (80.5%) completed the questionnaire and were included in analyses. Mean±s.d. of total score of the 396 participants was 8.4±3.1. Nursing staff shared information when they had a high nutritional knowledge (r=0.36, P<0.01) and attitude (r=0.13, P<0.05); however, their correlation coefficients were low. In the linear regression analyses, job categories (β=-0.28, P<0.01), knowledge (β=0.33, P<0.01) and attitude (β=0.10, P<0.05) were independently associated with the practice of sharing information. Nursing staff's priority to provide nutritional care practice was not significantly associated with the practice of sharing information.Conclusions:Knowledge and attitude were independently associated with the practice of sharing patients' nutrition information with colleagues, regardless of their priority to provide nutritional care. An effective approach should be taken to improve the practice of providing nutritional care practice.