Search for the Majorana Nature of Neutrinos in the Inverted Mass Ordering Region with KamLAND-Zen.

The KamLAND-Zen experiment has provided stringent constraints on the neutrinoless double-beta (0νßß) decay half-life in ^{136}Xe using a xenon-loaded liquid scintillator. We report an improved search using an upgraded detector with almost double the amount of xenon and an ultralow radioactivity container, corresponding to an exposure of 970 kg yr of ^{136}Xe. These new data provide valuable insight into backgrounds, especially from cosmic muon spallation of xenon, and have required the use of novel background rejection techniques. We obtain a lower limit for the 0νßß decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>2.3×10^{26} yr at 90% C.L., corresponding to upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of 36-156 meV using commonly adopted nuclear matrix element calculations.

Magnetic Friedel Oscillation at the Fe(001) Surface: Direct Observation by Atomic-Layer-Resolved Synchrotron Radiation

The surface magnetism of Fe(001) was studied in an atomic layer-by-layer fashion by using the in situ iron-57 probe layer method with a synchrotron Mössbauer source. The observed internal hyperfine field H_{int} exhibits a marked decrease at the surface and an oscillatory behavior with increasing depth in the individual upper four layers below the surface. The calculated layer-depth dependencies of the effective hyperfine field |H_{eff}|, isomer shift δ, and quadrupole shift 2ϵ agree well with the observed experimental parameters. These results provide the first experimental evidence for the magnetic Friedel oscillations, which penetrate several layers from the Fe(001) surface.

Erratum: Structural and Valence Changes of Europium Hydride Induced by Application of High-Pressure H_{2} [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 025501 (2011)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.025501.

Precision Analysis of the

We present a precision analysis of the ^{136}Xe two-neutrino ßß electron spectrum above 0.8 MeV, based on high-statistics data obtained with the KamLAND-Zen experiment. An improved formalism for the two-neutrino ßß rate allows us to measure the ratio of the leading and subleading 2νßß nuclear matrix elements (NMEs), ξ_{31}^{2ν}=-0.26_{-0.25}^{+0.31}. Theoretical predictions from the nuclear shell model and the majority of the quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) calculations are consistent with the experimental limit. However, part of the ξ_{31}^{2ν} range allowed by the QRPA is excluded by the present measurement at the 90% confidence level. Our analysis reveals that predicted ξ_{31}^{2ν} values are sensitive to the quenching of NMEs and the competing contributions from low- and high-energy states in the intermediate nucleus. Because these aspects are also at play in neutrinoless ßß decay, ξ_{31}^{2ν} provides new insights toward reliable neutrinoless ßß NMEs.

A simple rule to determine which insolation cycles lead to interglacials.

The pacing of glacial-interglacial cycles during the Quaternary period (the past 2.6 million years) is attributed to astronomically driven changes in high-latitude insolation. However, it has not been clear how astronomical forcing translates into the observed sequence of interglacials. Here we show that before one million years ago interglacials occurred when the energy related to summer insolation exceeded a simple threshold, about every 41,000 years. Over the past one million years, fewer of these insolation peaks resulted in deglaciation (that is, more insolation peaks were 'skipped'), implying that the energy threshold for deglaciation had risen, which led to longer glacials. However, as a glacial lengthens, the energy needed for deglaciation decreases. A statistical model that combines these observations correctly predicts every complete deglaciation of the past million years and shows that the sequence of interglacials that has occurred is one of a small set of possibilities. The model accounts for the dominance of obliquity-paced glacial-interglacial cycles early in the Quaternary and for the change in their frequency about one million years ago. We propose that the appearance of larger ice sheets over the past million years was a consequence of an increase in the deglaciation threshold and in the number of skipped insolation peaks.

Does the Age of Donor Kidneys Affect Nocturnal Polyuria in Patients With Successful Real Transplantation?

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether the age of donor kidneys influences the incidence of nocturnal polyuria in patients with successful renal transplantation (RTX). METHODS: Eighty-five patients (45 men and 40 women) undergoing RTX (median age, 47 years) were included in this study. Twenty-four-hour bladder diaries were kept for 3 days, and nocturnal polyuria was defined as a nocturnal polyuria index (nocturnal urine volume/24-hour urine volume) of >0.33. Risk factors for nocturnal polyuria were analyzed in patients with RTX by means of the Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, and a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) developed from diabetes mellitus in 16 patients (19%). Sixty-five patients (76%) received pre-transplant dialysis, with a median duration of 5 years. The median serum creatinine level and body mass index at the most recent visit were 1.2 mg/dL and 21.2 kg/m2, respectively. On the basis of the 24-hour bladder diaries, nocturnal polyuria was identified in 48 patients (56%). A logistic regression analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus as the original disease for ESRD was the only risk factor for nocturnal polyuria (odds ratio, 8.95; 95% confidence interval, 2.01-65.3; P = .0028). The age of donor kidneys at examination did not affect the incidence of nocturnal polyuria (P = .9402). CONCLUSIONS: Nocturnal polyuria was not uncommon in patients with successful RTX. Diabetes mellitus as the original disease for ESRD was the only risk factor for nocturnal polyuria, whereas the age of donor kidneys at examination did not affect the incidence of nocturnal polyuria. Thus, nocturnal polyuria is caused by recipient factors but not donor factors.

Publisher's Note: Search for Majorana Neutrinos Near the Inverted Mass Hierarchy Region with KamLAND-Zen [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 082503 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.082503.

Search for Majorana Neutrinos Near the Inverted Mass Hierarchy Region with KamLAND-Zen.

We present an improved search for neutrinoless double-beta (0νßß) decay of ^{136}Xe in the KamLAND-Zen experiment. Owing to purification of the xenon-loaded liquid scintillator, we achieved a significant reduction of the ^{110m}Ag contaminant identified in previous searches. Combining the results from the first and second phase, we obtain a lower limit for the 0νßß decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>1.07×10^{26} yr at 90% C.L., an almost sixfold improvement over previous limits. Using commonly adopted nuclear matrix element calculations, the corresponding upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass are in the range 61-165 meV. For the most optimistic nuclear matrix elements, this limit reaches the bottom of the quasidegenerate neutrino mass region.

Molecular basis of non-syndromic hypospadias: systematic mutation screening and genome-wide copy-number analysis of 62 patients.

STUDY QUESTION: What percentage of cases with non-syndromic hypospadias can be ascribed to mutations in known causative/candidate/susceptibility genes or submicroscopic copy-number variations (CNVs) in the genome? SUMMARY ANSWER: Monogenic and digenic mutations in known causative genes and cryptic CNVs account for >10% of cases with non-syndromic hypospadias. While known susceptibility polymorphisms appear to play a minor role in the development of this condition, further studies are required to validate this observation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Fifteen causative, three candidate, and 14 susceptible genes, and a few submicroscopic CNVs have been implicated in non-syndromic hypospadias. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Systematic mutation screening and genome-wide copy-number analysis of 62 patients. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The study group consisted of 57 Japanese and five Vietnamese patients with non-syndromic hypospadias. Systematic mutation screening was performed for 25 known causative/candidate/susceptibility genes using a next-generation sequencer. Functional consequences of nucleotide alterations were assessed by in silico assays. The frequencies of polymorphisms in the patient group were compared with those in the male general population. CNVs were analyzed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization and characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Seven of 62 patients with anterior or posterior hypospadias carried putative pathogenic mutations, such as hemizygous mutations in AR, a heterozygous mutation in BNC2, and homozygous mutations in SRD5A2 and HSD3B2. Two of the seven patients had mutations in multiple genes. We did not find any rare polymorphisms that were abundant specifically in the patient group. One patient carried mosaic dicentric Y chromosome. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The patient group consisted solely of Japanese and Vietnamese individuals and clinical and hormonal information of the patients remained rather fragmentary. In addition, mutation analysis focused on protein-altering substitutions. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our data provide evidence that pathogenic mutations can underlie both mild and severe hypospadias and that HSD3B2 mutations cause non-syndromic hypospadias as a sole clinical manifestation. Most importantly, this is the first report documenting possible oligogenicity of non-syndromic hypospadias. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study was funded by the Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; by the Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; by the Grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, from the National Center for Child Health and Development and from the Takeda Foundation. The authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable.

Traumatic pediatric spinal cord injury: long-term outcomes of lower urinary tract function.

Long-term urodynamic and urological outcomes were evaluated in pediatric patients following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The medical charts of three pediatric patients following traumatic SCI were retrospectively reviewed. The level of the injury was cervical in two patients and thoracic in one. Two patients, whose initial urodynamics demonstrated voluntary or reflex detrusor contraction with synergic sphincter relaxation, managed to void; however, urinary management was switched in one of these patients from voiding to clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) with anti-cholinergic agents because of a treatment for urinary incontinence. There were also no episodes of hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) or renal dysfunction in these two patients. Although one patient with hyperreflexic bladder was initially managed with CIC and anti-cholinergic agents, detrusor myectomy was ultimately performed because of severe VUR associated with the progressive worsening of lower urinary tract (LUT) function. Careful follow-ups including urodynamics are mandatory for children with progressively deteriorated LUT function or problematic urinary incontinence.

Nuclear resonant scattering measurements on (57)Fe by multichannel scaling with a 64-pixel silicon avalanche photodiode linear-array detector.

We developed a silicon avalanche photodiode (Si-APD) linear-array detector for use in nuclear resonant scattering experiments using synchrotron X-rays. The Si-APD linear array consists of 64 pixels (pixel size: 100 × 200 µm(2)) with a pixel pitch of 150 µm and depletion depth of 10 µm. An ultrafast frontend circuit allows the X-ray detector to obtain a high output rate of >10(7) cps per pixel. High-performance integrated circuits achieve multichannel scaling over 1024 continuous time bins with a 1 ns resolution for each pixel without dead time. The multichannel scaling method enabled us to record a time spectrum of the 14.4 keV nuclear radiation at each pixel with a time resolution of 1.4 ns (FWHM). This method was successfully applied to nuclear forward scattering and nuclear small-angle scattering on (57)Fe.

Lower urinary tract function in spinal cord-injured rats: midthoracic contusion versus transection.

OBJECTIVES: To compare changes in lower urinary tract (LUT) function with modifications in pathways that regulate LUT function using two different animal models (incomplete and complete) of spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. SCI was made at Th8/9 by a contusion injury (contusion, n=9) or a complete transection (transection, n=9). Unoperated rats were used as normal controls (normal, n=6). LUT function was evaluated by micturition behavior in metabolic cages for 24 h and cystometry in awake animals. Immunocytochemical staining at the L6 spinal cord, spinal areas associated with LUT, was performed to identify descending modulatory fibers and dorsal root afferents that project to the L6 spinal cord. RESULTS: Volume/micturition in metabolic cages gradually increased in both contusion and transection groups compared with normals, and operated groups did not differ from each other. Urodynamic parameters from cystometry were significantly different in contusion and transection groups compared with normals, but again there was no significant difference between contusion and transection groups. Immunocytochemical analyses at the L6 spinal cord showed no serotonergic or noradrenergic fibers in transection group, but some descending fibers remained in contusion group, indicating sparing. Small dorsal root afferents were denser in both contusion and transection groups than in normals, indicating sprouting. CONCLUSIONS: Although differences were not found in LUT function in operated animals, supraspinal and dorsal root projections to the L6 spinal cord responded differently to contusion and transection. This suggests that the benefits of pharmacologic treatments may be different in two lesion models.

Configuration change of NO on Cu(110) as a function of temperature.

The bonding structure of nitric oxide (NO) on Cu(110) is studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy, reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy at 6-160 K. At low temperatures, the NO molecule adsorbs at the short bridge site via the N end in an upright configuration. At around 50 K, this turns into a flat configuration, in which both the N and O atoms interact with the surface. The flat configuration is characterized by the low-frequency N-O stretching mode at 855 cm(-1). The flat-lying NO flips back and forth when the temperature increases to ~80 K, and eventually dissociates at ~160 K. We propose a potential energy diagram for the conversion of NO on the surface.

Impact of laparoscopy for diagnosis and treatment in patients with disorders of sex development.

OBJECTIVE: To review laparoscopy in patients with disorders of sex development (DSD) in order to clarify its usefulness in diagnosis, devising subsequent therapeutic strategies and managing patients with various conditions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 1992 and December 2012, 29 laparoscopic surgeries were performed in 25 DSD patients. Among them, ten were diagnostic laparoscopy including gonadal biopsy, and 19 were therapeutic laparoscopy. Surgical procedures and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: For diagnostic laparoscopy, laparoscopic gonadal biopsy was performed in three patients. Inspection, with or without open gonadal biopsy, was performed on four out of seven patients with 46XY DSD or mixed gonadal dysgenesis (MGD). Additional surgery was planned and performed based on diagnostic laparoscopic findings in six out of seven patients. In the three patients with ovotesticular DSD, the gonadal pathology was diagnosed as: testis/ovary in one, testis/ovotestis in one and ovary/ovotestis in one--this was from the laparoscopic inspection and/or gonadal biopsy. However, the final diagnoses were bilateral ovotestis in two patients and ovary/ovotestis in one patient. For therapeutic laparoscopy, surgical procedures were: gonadectomy in 17 patients (bilateral in 13, unilateral in three, partial in two); hysterectomy in two patients; orchiopexy in one; and sigmoid vaginoplasty in one patient (included multiple procedures). There were no severe perioperative complications. In the four patients with a history of diagnostic laparoscopy, no severe intra-abdominal adhesions that would disturb therapeutic laparoscopic surgery were observed. CONCLUSION: While diagnostic laparoscopy was helpful in devising a therapeutic surgical strategy in most of the patients with DSD who were suspected as having complex gonadal status or Müllerian duct derivatives, attention must be paid to precisely diagnosing the gonadal status in ovotesticular DSD. On the other hand, therapeutic laparoscopic surgeries were valuable procedures in treating DSD patients, even with a history of previous diagnostic laparoscopy.

Preoperative renal scar as a risk factor of postoperative metabolic acidosis following ileocystoplasty in patients with neurogenic bladder.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated relation of preoperative renal scar to incidence of postoperative metabolic acidosis following ileocystoplasty in patients with neurogenic bladder. PATIENTS: Thirty patients with neurogenic bladder, who underwent ileocystoplasty, were enrolled in the present study. Median age at ileocystoplasty was 13.9 years and median follow-up period after ileocystoplasty was 8.2 years. Metabolic acidosis was defined based on the outlined criteria: base excess (BE) is less than 0 mmol l(-1). Preoperative examination revealed that no apparent renal insufficiency was identified in blood analysis, although preoperative (99m)Tc-DMSA scintigraphy indicated abnormalities such as renal scar in 14 patients (47%). Incidence of postoperative metabolic acidosis was compared between patients with and without preoperative renal scar, which may reflect some extent of renal tubular damage. RESULTS: Postoperative metabolic acidosis was identified in 13 patients (43%). Incidence of postoperative metabolic acidosis was significantly higher in patients with renal scar (11/14, 79%) compared with patients without renal scar (2/16, 13%; P<0.01). Particularly, all eight patients who had bilateral renal scars showed metabolic acidosis postoperatively. Compared with patients without preoperative renal scar, pH (P<0.05) and BE (P<0.01) were significantly lower postoperatively in patients with preoperative renal scar. However, there was no significant difference in PCO2. Hyperchloremia was observed in each patient with or without preoperative renal scar. CONCLUSION: Incidence of postoperative metabolic acidosis was significantly implicated in preoperative renal scar. If renal abnormalities are preoperatively identified in imaging tests, we need to care patients carefully regarding metabolic acidosis and subsequent comorbidities following ileocystoplasty.

α-Amylase is a potential growth inhibitor of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogenic bacterium.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major etiological agent in the development and progression of periodontal diseases. In this study, we isolated a cell growth inhibitor against P. gingivalis species from rice protein extract. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The cell growth inhibitor active against P. gingivalis was purified from polished rice extract using a six-step column chromatography process. Its antimicrobial properties were investigated through microscope analysis, spectrum of activity and general structure. RESULTS: The inhibitor was identified as AmyI-1, an α-amylase, and showed significant cell growth inhibitory activity against P. gingivalis species. Scanning electron microscopy micrograph analysis and bactericidal assay indicated an intriguing possibility that the inhibitor compromises the cell membrane structure of the bacterial cells and leads to cell death. Moreover, α-amylases from human saliva and porcine pancreas showed inhibitory activity similar to that of AmyI-1. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report that α-amylases cause cell death of periodontal pathogenic bacteria. This finding highlights the potential importance and therapeutic potential of α-amylases in treating periodontal diseases.

Oral administration of an HSP90 inhibitor, 17-DMAG, intervenes tumor-cell infiltration into multiple organs and improves survival period for ATL model mice.

In the peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) from the carriers of the human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) or the patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB)-mediated antiapoptotic signals are constitutively activated primarily by the HTLV-1-encoded oncoprotein Tax. Tax interacts with the I κB kinase regulatory subunit NEMO (NF-κB essential modulator) to activate NF-κB, and this interaction is maintained in part by a molecular chaperone, heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90), and its co-chaperone cell division cycle 37 (CDC37). The antibiotic geldanamycin (GA) inhibits HSP90's ATP binding for its proper interaction with client proteins. Administration of a novel water-soluble and less toxic GA derivative, 17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin hydrochloride (17-DMAG), to Tax-expressing ATL-transformed cell lines, C8166 and MT4, induced significant degradation of Tax. 17-DMAG also facilitated growth arrest and cellular apoptosis to C8166 and MT4 and other ATL cell lines, although this treatment has no apparent effects on normal PBLs. 17-DMAG also downregulated Tax-mediated intracellular signals including the activation of NF-κB, activator protein 1 or HTLV-1 long terminal repeat in Tax-transfected HEK293 cells. Oral administration of 17-DMAG to ATL model mice xenografted with lymphomatous transgenic Lck-Tax (Lck proximal promoter-driven Tax transgene) cells or HTLV-1-producing tumor cells dramatically attenuated aggressive infiltration into multiple organs, inhibited de novo viral production and improved survival period. These observations identified 17-DMAG as a promising candidate for the prevention of ATL progression.

Comparative study of phenol and thiophenol adsorption on Cu(110).

Adsorption of phenol and thiophenol (benzenethiol) on Cu(110) is investigated by a scanning tunneling microscope and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Phenol adsorbs intact and forms a cyclic trimer at 78 K. It is dehydrogenated to yield a phenoxy (C6H5O) group at 300 K. On the other hand, thiophenol is dehydrogenated to a thiophenoxy (C6H5S) group even at 78 K. Both products are bonded via chalcogen atom to the short-bridge site with the phenyl ring oriented nearly parallel to the surface. The C6H5O and C6H5S groups are preferentially assembled into the chains along the [001] and [112] directions, respectively. Dipole-dipole interaction is responsible for the chain growth, while the chain direction is ruled by the steric repulsion between chalcogen atoms and adjacent phenyl ring. This work demonstrates a crucial role of chalcogen atom of phenol species in their overlayer growth on the surface.

Increase in interleukin-6 immediately after wheelchair basketball games in persons with spinal cord injury: preliminary report.

STUDY DESIGN: Case series. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of wheelchair basketball game on plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood cell counts in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: The 2009 Mei-shin League of Wheelchair Basketball Games held at Wakayama, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Five wheelchair basketball players with SCI voluntarily participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS: Blood samples were taken approximately 1 h before the player warm-up for the game and immediately after the game. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IL-6, TNF-α, CRP and blood cell count were measured. RESULTS: Plasma IL-6 level and number of monocytes were significantly increased after the game, compared with pre-game measurements (P<0.05). No changes were observed in other measurements. There was a significant relationship between increased IL-6 levels and accumulated play duration. CONCLUSION: The lack of change in TNF-α and CRP levels suggested that the exercise-induced rise in IL-6 was not related to exercise-induced inflammatory response. Furthermore, the associated increase in the number of monocytes did not correlate with exercise-induced IL-6 changes, negating monocytes as the source of IL-6.

Limit on neutrinoless ßß decay of 136Xe from the first phase of KamLAND-Zen and comparison with the positive claim in 76Ge.

We present results from the first phase of the KamLAND-Zen double-beta decay experiment, corresponding to an exposure of 89.5 kg yr of (136)Xe. We obtain a lower limit for the neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life of T(1/2)(0ν)>1.9×10(25) yr at 90% C.L. The combined results from KamLAND-Zen and EXO-200 give T(1/2)(0ν)>3.4×10(25) yr at 90% C.L., which corresponds to a Majorana neutrino mass limit of <(120-250) meV based on a representative range of available matrix element calculations. Using those calculations, this result excludes the Majorana neutrino mass range expected from the neutrinoless double-beta decay detection claim in (76)Ge, reported by a part of the Heidelberg-Moscow Collaboration, at more than 97.5% C.L.