Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on the dietary habits of the Japanese population have shown that an effect rs671 allele was inversely associated with fish consumption, whereas it was directly associated with coffee consumption. Although meat is a major source of protein and fat in the diet, whether genetic factors that influence meat-eating habits in healthy populations are unknown. This study aimed to conduct a GWAS to find genetic variations that affect meat consumption in a Japanese population. We analysed GWAS data using 14 076 participants from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study. We used a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to estimate food intake that was validated previously. Association of the imputed variants with total meat consumption per 1000 kcal energy was performed by linear regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, and principal component analysis components 1–10. We found that no genetic variant, including rs671, was associated with meat consumption. The previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms that were associated with meat consumption in samples of European ancestry could not be replicated in our J-MICC data. In conclusion, significant genetic factors that affect meat consumption were not observed in a Japanese population.

Differences in individual eating habits may be influenced by genetic factors, in addition to cultural, social or environmental factors. Previous studies suggested that genetic variants within sweet taste receptor genes family were associated with sweet taste perception and the intake of sweet foods. The aim of this study was to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to find genetic variations that affect confection consumption in a Japanese population. We analysed GWAS data on confection consumption using 14 073 participants from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort study. We used a semi-quantitative FFQ to estimate food intake that was validated previously. Association of the imputed variants with confection consumption was performed by linear regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, total energy intake and principal component analysis components 1–3. Furthermore, the analysis was repeated adjusting for alcohol intake (g/d) in addition to the above-described variables. We found 418 SNP located in 12q24 that were associated with confection consumption. SNP with the ten lowest P-values were located on nine genes including at the BRAP, ACAD10 and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 regions on 12q24.12-13. After adjustment for alcohol intake, no variant was associated with confections intake with genome-wide significance. In conclusion, we found a significant number of SNP located on 12q24 genes that were associated with confections intake before adjustment for alcohol intake. However, all of them lost statistical significance after adjustment for alcohol intake.

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women in Western countries. Once patients experience recurrence, complete cure is almost impossible. We elucidated the effect of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma on the growth of EOC, particularly in plasma-activated medium (PAM). Furthermore, we examined the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or their scavengers in chronic antineoplastic-resistant EOC cells. As a result, we showed PAM induced the antitumor effect of EOC cells in vitro and in vivo, even in chemoresistant cells. To apply the plasma treatment for advanced or recurrent EOC, we suggest adopting indirect plasma therapy instead of direct plasma considering intraperitoneal administration in the future. However, there are several problems under investigation, including intracellular mechanism of antitumor effect by PAM and adverse event in vivo.

Two independent ovarian cancer cell lines and fibroblast controls were treated with nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma (NEAPP). Most ovarian cancer cells were detached from the culture dish by continuous plasma treatment to a single spot on the dish. Next, the plasma source was applied over the whole dish using a robot arm. In vitro cell proliferation assays showed that plasma treatments significantly decreased proliferation rates of ovarian cancer cells compared to fibroblast cells. FACS and Western blot analysis showed that plasma treatment of ovarian cancer cells induced apoptosis. NEAPP could be a promising tool for therapy for ovarian cancers.

We study behaviours of the ‘equianharmonic’ parameter of the Grothendieck–Teichmüller group introduced by Lochak and Schneps. Using geometric construction of a certain one-parameter family of quartics, we realize the Galois action on the fundamental group of a punctured Mordell elliptic curve in the standard Galois action on a specific subgroup of the braid group . A consequence is to represent a matrix specialization of the ‘equianharmonic’ parameter in terms of special values of the adelic beta function introduced and studied by Anderson and Ihara.

We have grown indium nitride (InN) films using In buffer layer on an a-plane sapphire substrate under atmospheric pressure by halide CVD (AP-HCVD). Growth was carried out by two steps: deposition In buffer layer at 900 °C and subsequent growth of InN layer at 650 °C. In order to compare, we also grown InN films on an a-plane sapphire. The InN films are investigated on crystal quality, surface morphology and electrical property using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), X-ray pole figure, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Hall measurement. The results show that the crystal quality, surface morphology and electrical property of InN films are improved by using In buffer layer.

Hydrogen adsorption by graphite is examined by classical molecular dynamics simulation using a modified Brenner reactive empirical bond order (REBO) potential. Such interactions are typical in chemical sputtering experiments, and knowledge of the fundamental behavior of hydrogen and graphene in collisional conditions is essential for modeling the sputtering mechanism. The hydrogen adsorption rate is found to be dependent on the incident hydrogen energy and not on graphene temperature. Rather than destroying the graphene, hydrogen incidence at energies of less than 100 eV can be classified into three regimes of adsorption, reflection and penetration through one or more graphene layers. Incidence at the lowest energies is shown to distort the graphene structure.

In a previous study (2005 Comput. Phys. Commun.169, 139–143), we clarified the dependence of the phase structure on the hydrophilicity of an amphiphilic molecule by varying the interaction potential between the hydrophilic molecule and water ($a_{\rm AW}$) in a dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation using the Jury model. In the present paper, we perform another DPD simulation using the previous model to investigate the dependence of the interaction potential between adjacent hydrophilic groups on the phase structure. By varying the coefficient of the interaction potential between adjacent hydrophilic groups $a_{\rm AA}$ ($a_{\rm AA}=15,25,40$ and 250) at a dimensionless temperature of $T=0.5$ and a concentration of amphiphilic molecules in water of $\phi=50$%, hexagonal ($a_{\rm AA}=14,25,40$) and micellar ($a_{\rm AA}=250$) phases were observed. In comparison with the previous results, the dependence of the A–B dimer's shape on $a_{\rm AA}$ was determined to be weaker than that on $a_{\rm AW}$. Therefore, it is concluded that the solvent water ${\rm W}$ plays an important role in aggregation of the A–B dimers.

The methods and applications that integrate electron microscopic density maps and comparative atomic coordinates to generate atomic models of protein complexes and their assemblies have recently advanced. Here, we also report on a newly developed tool for integration between density maps at a spatial resolution of about one nanometer and atomic coordinates by introducing the spatial constraints into a molecular dynamics calculation, which we call spatially restricted molecular dynamics. We, successfully, constructed the atomic models well-fitted to the density maps generated from nine different atomic coordinates of proteins. The method will give us the useful, refined, and presumable atomic structure of macromolecules to elucidate the relationship between their structure and functions.

Ultrashort pulsed hard X rays are generated by focusing an intense femtosecond laser beam onto metal targets. Kα emissions are obtained from a Cu target. Picosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction is performed to investigate structural dynamics of laser-shocked semiconductors using the laser plasma X-ray pulses. Lattice deformation associated with shock-wave propagation is directly observed. Evolution of strain profiles inside the crystal is determined without disturbance from the time-resolved X-ray diffraction patterns.

This paper presents the variation of radiocarbon content in annual tree rings for the period AD 1413–1553, which includes the Spoerer Minimum period (AD 1415–1534). Since the variation of the production rate of 14C is strongly related to solar activity, the variation of 14C content in annual tree rings gives us information on the characteristics of variation of solar activity. We have studied solar activity during the grand solar minima, focusing especially on the stability of the 11-yr cycle. The minima are determined to have been almost free of sunspots. Our results, however, have revealed quite remarkably the existence of the 11-yr cycle for most of the time during the Spoerer Minimum. The 11-yr variation weakened around AD 1460–1510, suggesting that solar activity might have been strongly suppressed during these 50 yr.

High quality epitaxial PZT optical waveguides have been grown by solid-phase epitaxy based on metal alkoxide solution process. Optical propagation loss was 4 dB/cm in epitaxial PZT thin film optical waveguides grown on SrTiO3 substrates. Epitaxial PZT optical waveguides were grown on Nb doped conductive SrTiO3 substrates, since considerable reduction in drive voltage will be expected when top electrode / optical waveguide / conductive substrate structures are realized. Propagation loss was relatively large, as compared with the structure using non-dope insulative substrates. Preliminary electrooptic deflection devices were fabricated by preparing prism electrodes on the surface of the PZT optical waveguides. Efficient deflection/switching of coupled laser beam in the PZT optical waveguides as large as 26 mrad was observed by applying 70 volts between prism electrode and Nb doped SrTiO3 substrates.