Solving cosmological problem in universal extra dimension models by introducing Dirac neutrino

Universal extra dimension (UED) models with right-handed neutrinos are studied. The introduction of the neutrinos makes us possible not only to describe Dirac neutrino masses but also to solve the cosmological problem called the KK graviton problem. This problem is essentially caused by the late time decay of a KK photon into a KK graviton and a photon, and it distorts the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background or the diffuse photon. We point out that, once we introduce right-handed neutrinos to UED models, the KK photon decays dominantly into neutrinos and does not emit a photon. We also discuss sub-dominant modes with a photon in the decay quantitatively, and show that their branching ratios are so small that the spectra are not distorted.Comment: Some discussions are added

Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease

宮崎大学博士(医学)2016年度Background: Plasma levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated with deteriorated kidney function, but the relationship between the plasma level of ANP or BNP and the future development of CKD is unclear. Methods: We measured the plasma ANP and BNP levels of 294 local residents without CKD in a Japanese community (56.5 ± 10.4 years, mean ± S.D.), who were followed up for the development of CKD over the next 7 years. Results: Sixty-three residents developed CKD during the follow-up period, and the baseline level of plasma ANP of these residents was significantly higher than in those without CKD development. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the residents with higher ANP than the median value developed CKD more frequently than those with lower ANP. The association between plasma ANP level and CKD development was found to be independent of baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate by a Cox proportional hazards model, while this association became insignificant when adjusted by age; plasma ANP was significantly correlated with age. Compared with ANP, the relationship between plasma BNP and CKD development was unclear in these analyses. Conclusions: Age-related elevation of plasma ANP levels preceded the development of CKD in the general population of Japan, raising a possibility for ANP being involved in the development of CKD.doctoral thesi

Economy and business as living organism

鈴木良始教授古稀祝賀記念号(Honorable issue in commemoration of Prof. Yoshiji Suzuki's 70 years of age)application/pdfdepartmental bulletin pape

Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease

Background: Plasma levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated with deteriorated kidney function, but the relationship between the plasma level of ANP or BNP and the future development of CKD is unclear. Methods: We measured the plasma ANP and BNP levels of 294 local residents without CKD in a Japanese community (56.5 ± 10.4 years, mean ± S.D.), who were followed up for the development of CKD over the next 7 years. Results: Sixty-three residents developed CKD during the follow-up period, and the baseline level of plasma ANP of these residents was significantly higher than in those without CKD development. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the residents with higher ANP than the median value developed CKD more frequently than those with lower ANP. The association between plasma ANP level and CKD development was found to be independent of baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate by a Cox proportional hazards model, while this association became insignificant when adjusted by age; plasma ANP was significantly correlated with age. Compared with ANP, the relationship between plasma BNP and CKD development was unclear in these analyses. Conclusions: Age-related elevation of plasma ANP levels preceded the development of CKD in the general population of Japan, raising a possibility for ANP being involved in the development of CKD.Citation: Ogawa N, Komura H, Kuwasako K, Kitamura K, Kato J. Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease. BMC Nephrol. 2015 Oct 24;16:171. doi: 10.1186/s12882-015-0163-9. PMID: 26499263; PMCID: PMC4620018

Observation of B+→ψ(3770)K+

journal articl

Measurement of branching fraction and time-dependent CP asymmetry parameters in B^0 → D^*+D^*-K^{0}_{S}decays

We present a measurement of the branching fraction and time-dependent CP violation parameters for B^0 → D^*+D^*-K^{0}_{S} decays. These results are obtained from a 414 fb^{-1} data sample that contains 449×10^6 B\bar{B} pairs collected at the Υ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^+e^- collider. We obtain the branching fraction, B(B^0→D^*+D*^-K^{O}_{S})= [3.4±0.4(stat)±0.7(syst)]×10^-3, which is in agreement with the current world average. We also obtain an upper limit on the product branching fraction for a possible two-body decay, B(B^0 → D_s1^+(2536)D^*-)B(D_s1^+(2536)→ D^*+K^{O}_{S})s^+, where s^±[equivalent]m2(D^*±K^{0}_{S}), we extract the CP violation parameters, J_c/J_0=0.60^{+0.25}_{-0.28}(stat)±0.08(syst), 2J_s1/J_0sin2φ_1=-0.17^{+0.42}_{-0.42}(stat)±0.09(syst), 2J_s2/J_0cos2φ_1=-0.23^{+0.43}_{-0.41}(stat)±0.13(syst). A large value of J_c/J_0 would indicate a significant resonant contribution from a broad unknown D_s^**+ state. Although the sign of the factor, 2J_s2/J_0, can be deduced from theory, no conclusion can be drawn regarding the sign of cos2φ_1 given the errors.journal articl

日本語スピーチ大会 ―今後の可能性―

departmental bulletin pape

研究速報 : Cr^3+からの蛍光を利用した走査型高速微小部応力測定装置の設計と試作

departmental bulletin pape

Establishment of a heart-on-a-chip microdevice based on human iPS cells for the evaluation of human heart tissue function

Human iPS cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) hold promise for drug discovery for heart diseases and cardiac toxicity tests. To utilize human iPSC-derived CMs, the establishment of three-dimensional (3D) heart tissues from iPSC-derived CMs and other heart cells, and a sensitive bioassay system to depict physiological heart function are anticipated. We have developed a heart-on-a-chip microdevice (HMD) as a novel system consisting of dynamic culture-based 3D cardiac microtissues derived from human iPSCs and microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based microfluidic chips. The HMDs could visualize the kinetics of cardiac microtissue pulsations by monitoring particle displacement, which enabled us to quantify the physiological parameters, including fluidic output, pressure, and force. The HMDs demonstrated a strong correlation between particle displacement and the frequency of external electrical stimulation. The transition patterns were validated by a previously reported versatile video-based system to evaluate contractile function. The patterns are also consistent with oscillations of intracellular calcium ion concentration of CMs, which is a fundamental biological component of CM contraction. The HMDs showed a pharmacological response to isoproterenol, a β-adrenoceptor agonist, that resulted in a strong correlation between beating rate and particle displacement. Thus, we have validated the basic performance of HMDs as a resource for human iPSC-based pharmacological investigations.journal articl