We found that an intermediate velocity cloud (IVC) IVC 86−36 in Hi 21 cm emission shows a head-tail distribution toward the Galactic plane with marked parallel filamentary streamers, which is extended over 40 degrees in the sky. The distance of IVC 86−36 is constrained to be less than ∼ 3 kpc from absorption of a background star as determined from optical spectroscopy. There is a bridge feature in velocity between the IVC and the local ISM with velocity separation of ∼ 50 km s −1 , which may indicate dynamical interaction of the IVC with the disk. If the interaction is correct, the distance estimate d of the IVC ranges from 200 pc to 3 kpc, and the mass of the IVC head is estimated to be 7 × 10 3 (d/1kpc) 2 M . The IVC shares similar properties to the Smith cloud located at 12 kpc, including the head-tail distribution, streamers, and bridge feature, while the mass of the IVC is less than ∼ 0.1 of the Smith 1 arXiv:1711.09529v2 [astro-ph.GA] 5 Oct 2018 cloud. A comparison between the Hi and the Planck/IRAS dust emission indicates that the dust emission of IVC 86−36 is not detectable in spite of its Hi column density of 2 × 10 20 cm −2 , indicating low metalicity of IVC 86−36 by a factor of < ∼ 0.2 as compared with the solar neighbor.We conclude that IVC 86−38 is an infalling cloud which likely originated in the low-metallicity environment of the Galactic halo or the Magellanic system.

In obese adipose tissue, infiltrating macrophages release proinflammatory cytokines that trigger insulin resistance. An adipocyte-based platform from visceral fat would be useful to elucidate the pathology of adipose inflammation and to develop therapeutic drugs for insulin resistance. ADSCs (adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells) expanded from subcutaneous fat are intensively studied as sources for regenerative medicine. However, the adipocyte culture system from visceral fat tissue has not been utilized yet. We aimed to establish the bioactive adipocyte platform using ADSCs from visceral fat pad. Stromal vascular fractions were processed from epididymal fat pads of Sprague-Dawley rats and three human omental fat pads, and the ADSCs were expanded using a low-serum culture method. The responses of ADSCs and ADSC-adipocytes (their adipogenic lineages) to pioglitazone, a therapeutic drug for diabesity, were evaluated by gene expression and ELISA. ADSCs (1×108) were expanded from 10 g of rat epididymal fat pads or human omental fat pads over five passages. Cell surface marker expressions revealed that visceral ADSCs were equivalent to mesenchymal stem cells. ADSC-adipocytes expanded in the low-serum culture system significantly showed higher expression of adipogenic markers [PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) γ, LPL (lipoprotein lipase) and FABP4 (fatty acid-binding protein 4)] and adipocytokines [adiponectin, resistin, leptin, PAI-1 (plasminogen-activator inhibitor 1) and IL (interleukin)-10] than those expanded in a high-serum culture system. Pioglitazone accelerated the adipogenic induction and increased adiponectin expression in human ADSCs by 57.9±5.8-fold (mean±S.E.M.) relative to control cells (P<0.001). Both in rat and human ADSC-adipocytes, TNF-α significantly induced proinflammatory cytokines [MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and IL-6] and suppressed adiponectin expression, while pioglitazone antagonized these effects. The present findings suggest that visceral ADSC-adipocytes expanded in low-serum culture would be useful for adiposcience and pharmacological evaluations.

The present text is a summary of liquefaction events that occurred in the Kanto Region during the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, excluding those events in the Tokyo Bay area that are discussed elsewhere. Most liquefaction occurred in the abandoned river channels and former lakes that had been recently filled with liquefiable soils. Noteworthy was the damage to private housing lands and river dikes that had not been well treated against liquefaction risk. Many sites experienced repeated liquefaction after former earthquakes in 1923 or 1987, if they existed in those times. In contrast to the recent liquefaction-prone soils, more-aged sands scarcely liquefied because of what is called the "ageing" effect. The present study analyzed cases in Tokyo area to quantitatively assess the temporal development of ageing so that liquefaction risk in more aged soils might be reasonably assessed. In the appendix, remarks are made of the reliability of air-photo survey in quick detection of liquefaction sites.

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