Explore the vast range of titles available.

The KAON2019 is the 11th conference in the series which started in 1988. Many kaon experiments have evolved during these years. In this talk, challenges and developments of the experiments for Re ( ϵ ′ / ϵ ) and rare K → π ν ν ¯ decays are reviewed.

The repeated failures reported in cultivating some microbial lineages are a major challenge in microbial ecology and probably linked, in the case of Frankia microsymbionts to atypical patterns of auxotrophy. Comparative genomics of the so far uncultured cluster-2 Candidatus Frankia datiscae Dg1, with cultivated Frankiae has revealed genome reduction, but no obvious physiological impairments. A direct physiological assay on nodule tissues from Coriaria myrtifolia infected with a closely-related strain permitted the identification of a requirement for alkaline conditions. A high pH growth medium permitted the recovery of a slow-growing actinobacterium. The strain obtained, called BMG5.1, has short hyphae, produced diazovesicles in nitrogen-free media and fulfilled Koch’s postulates by inducing effective nodules on axenically grown Coriaria spp. and Datisca glomerata . Analysis of the draft genome confirmed its close proximity to the Candidatus Frankia datiscae Dg1 genome with the absence of 38 genes (trehalose synthase, fumarylacetoacetase, etc) in BMG5.1 and the presence of 77 other genes (CRISPR, lanthionine synthase, glutathione synthetase, catalase, Na+/H+ antiporter, etc) not found in Dg1. A multi-gene phylogeny placed the two cluster-2 strains together at the root of the Frankia radiation.

Background:The treatment goal for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to not only achieve remission with drug treatment but also improve treatment satisfaction. A patient’s proactive participation in treatment is essential for improving satisfaction and is especially important in rehabilitation medicine in which a patient’s motivation is directly linked to treatment effectiveness. Satisfaction surveys related to RA have reported various unmet medical needs1-2; however, differences between generations are unclear. Clarifying these differences may further improve the quality of RA treatment.Objectives:To investigate generational differences in the unmet medical needs of patients with RA.Methods:Seventy-five outpatients with RA (median years of disease duration: 10.0) were enrolled. The demographic data collected included age, sex, the disease activity score in 28 joints–C-reactive protein, the Simplified Disease Activity Index, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index. The primary outcome was treatment satisfaction, which was measured using a numerical rating scale. In addition, factors associated with insufficient treatment satisfaction were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. All parameters were compared between the following generations: adult (25–44 years), middle-aged adult (45–64 years), young-old adult (65–74 years), and old adult (> 75 years).Results:Table 1 shows the demographic data. Walking and other activities in the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index scored significantly higher in the old adults compared with the middle-aged or young-old adults. The respective mean (standard deviation) values for treatment satisfaction were 7.8 (1.3) for the adults, 8.4 (1.7) for the middle-aged adults, 8.1(2.4) for the young-old adults, and 8.3 (1.7) for the old adults. However, these differences were not significant between generations. Figure 1 shows the factors associated with insufficient treatment satisfaction by generation. Factors associated with body structures and functions, such as pain and joint contractures, were common in all generations. Notably, adults had more unmet medical needs that were associated with social participation and hobby/leisure activities; however, these unmet needs decreased with age.Conclusion:This study showed that conventional RA treatment alone leads to insufficient treatment satisfaction and that some unmet medical needs differ between generations. In particular, unmet medical needs associated with social participation and hobby/leisure activities were characteristic, and the causes differed between generations. To solve these problems, providing rehabilitation treatment according to the patient’s life stage may be important.REFERENCES:[1] Lilian H D van Tuyl, et al: The patient perspective on the absence of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a survey to identify key domains of patient-perceived remission. Ann Rheum Dis 76:855–861,2017.[2] Radawski C, et al: Patient Perceptions of Unmet Medical Need in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the USA. Rheumatol Ther 6:461–471,2019.Table 1. Demographic data by generationFigure 1.Factors associated with insufficient treatment satisfaction between generationsAcknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.

During mid-Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2, significant increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations from the eruption of the large igneous provinces is hypothesized to have induced a humid climate and an elevation in nutrient runoff from continents to the oceans, resulting in oxygen depletion in the ocean. However, hitherto there is limited insight into the driving factors of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 from the Pacific and Asian continental margins, even though the former and the latter were the largest ocean and landmass at that time. Here, a multiproxy analysis for the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 interval of the Yezo Group –deposited on northwestern Pacific along the active Asian continental margin– is interpretated to identify seven volcanic pulses, five of which may have elevated humidity, weathering intensity, and vegetational change in the eastern margin of Asia. Moreover, oxygen depletion occurred simultaneously in the northwest Pacific. Given that these environmental changes in the eastern margin of Asia were penecontemporaneous with the global carbon burial intervals during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2, the elevated nutrient supply from the Asian continental margin to the Pacific Ocean may have, in part, contributed to the worldwide depletion of oxygen of the ocean during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2.

Modern high-power lasers can generate extreme states of matter that are relevant to astrophysics 1 , equation-of-state studies 2 and fusion energy research 3 , 4 . Laser-driven implosions of spherical polymer shells have, for example, achieved an increase in density of 1,000 times relative to the solid state 5 . These densities are large enough to enable controlled fusion, but to achieve energy gain a small volume of compressed fuel (known as the ‘spark’) must be heated to temperatures of about 10 8  K (corresponding to thermal energies in excess of 10 keV). In the conventional approach to controlled fusion, the spark is both produced and heated by accurately timed shock waves 4 , but this process requires both precise implosion symmetry and a very large drive energy. In principle, these requirements can be significantly relaxed by performing the compression and fast heating separately 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ; however, this ‘fast ignitor’ approach 7 also suffers drawbacks, such as propagation losses and deflection of the ultra-intense laser pulse by the plasma surrounding the compressed fuel. Here we employ a new compression geometry that eliminates these problems; we combine production of compressed matter in a laser-driven implosion with picosecond-fast heating by a laser pulse timed to coincide with the peak compression. Our approach therefore permits efficient compression and heating to be carried out simultaneously, providing a route to efficient fusion energy production.

Faunal succession in whale-fall communities is closely associated with the progress of decomposition of the whale carcass. The main nutritional resources supporting a whale-fall community change from whale matter to chemosynthetic products over time. To study the geochemical aspects of this nutritional succession, we sampled animals over time on and in sediments around carcasses of sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus in Sagami Bay (mobile scavenger to early sulfophilic stage) and off Cape Nomamisaki (sulfophilic stage), Japan (500 and 200−300 m water depths, respectively). In these 2 areas, stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes of the animal soft tissues were measured to precisely elucidate the nutritional resources for each animal. In Sagami Bay, mobile scavengers relied only on whale soft tissue. Infaunal animals at 2 wk after the deployment relied only on whale soft tissue, while infauna at 9 mo after the deployment relied on chemosynthetic products. Such changes in nutritional resources were consistent with the transition of the geochemical environment in the sediments. Off Cape Nomamisaki, vigorous microbial sulfate reduction and thioautotrophic primary production nourished the fauna around the carcasses. The fauna in this area consisted of chemosymbiotic bivalves and necrophagous animals with sulfide-tolerant metabolism. We conclude that the changes in microbial processes, biomass, and compositions in sediments influence faunal succession in whale-fall ecosystems via change in the available nutrition for the fauna

Vertigo and dizziness are frequent symptoms in patients at out-patient services. An accurate diagnosis for vertigo or dizziness is essential for symptom relief; however, it is often challenging. This study aimed to identify differences in diagnoses between primary-care physicians and specialised neurotologists. In total, 217 patients were enrolled. To compare diagnoses, data was collected from the reference letters of primary-care physicians, medical questionnaires completed by patients and medical records. In total, 62.2 per cent and 29.5 per cent of the patients were referred by otorhinolaryngologists and internists, respectively. The cause of vertigo or dizziness and diagnosis was missing in 47.0 per cent of the reference letters. In addition, 67.3 per cent of the diagnoses by previous physicians differed from those reported by specialised neurotologists. To ensure patient satisfaction and high quality of life, an accurate diagnosis for vertigo or dizziness is required; therefore, methods or materials to improve the diagnostic accuracy are needed.

We have previously conducted clinical trials of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT with reduced-intensity conditioning regimen (RIC) for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL)—a disease caused by human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection and having a dismal prognosis. Long-term follow-up studies of these trials revealed that 10 of the 29 patients have survived for a median of 82 months (range, 54–100 months) after RIC, indicating a possible curability of the disease by RIC. However, we have also observed that the patterns of post-RIC changes in HTLV-1 proviral load over time among the 10 survivors were classified into three patterns. This is the first report to clarify the long-term outcomes after RIC for ATLL patients.

IgA nephropathy is the most common form of progressive glomerulonephritis although the pathophysiology of this nephropathy is unclear. The ddY mouse is a spontaneous animal model with variable incidence and extent of glomerular injury mimicking human IgA nephropathy. Here, we transplanted bone marrow cells from 20-week-old ddY mice with beginning or quiescent IgA nephropathy into irradiated similar ddY mice, C57Bl/6 (Th1 prone) mice, or BALB/c (Th2 prone) mice. Serum IgA/IgG complex and Th1/Th2 polarization of spleen cells was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by fluorescent cytometric analysis. The ddY mice with commencing IgA nephropathy demonstrated strong polarization toward Th1, while those with quiescent disease were Th2 polarized. Serum levels of IgA/IgG2a immune complex significantly correlated with the severity of the glomerular lesions. Bone marrow taken from mice with commencing IgA nephropathy conferred IgA nephropathy with Th1 polarization in recipient-quiescent mice, while transplantation from the quiescent mice ablated glomerular injury and mesangial IgA/IgG deposition in those commencing IgA disease. However, adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells from those whose disease began failed to induce any IgA deposition or renal injury. Our study suggests that bone marrow cells, presuming IgA producing cells, may initiate this disease. Th1 cells may be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease after glomerular IgA deposition.