Search

Corynebacterium simulans was first reported in 2000. Although it is a member of the normal skin flora, some cases of C. simulans infection have been reported. Other Corynebacterium spp. rarely cause chronic pyogenic spondylitis, and pyogenic spondylitis caused by C. simulans has not been reported at all. Here we report a case of acute pyogenic spondylitis due to C. simulans. A 78-year-old man with diabetes mellitus visited our hospital with a 3-day history of lower back pain and fever. Blood culture revealed C. simulans and magnetic resonance images of lumbar vertebrae showed pyogenic spondylitis. He recovered after treatment by vancomycin for 9 weeks and was discharged home. No recurrence has been observed for half a year. This is likely the first reported case of pyogenic spondylitis by C. simulans. In general, Corynebacterium spp. cause chronic pyogenic spondylitis, but this case showed an acute course.

Supersaturated Fe–1.2 wt.% Cu alloys were irradiated with 200 MeV Xe and 200 MeV Au ions at elevated temperatures. To make an irradiated region and an unirradiated region in specimens, a masking plate was put on the specimen during the irradiation. After the irradiation, the hardness was measured by using a conventional microhardness tester or a nano-indenter. We have found that the hardness only in irradiated region increases by the irradiation. The boundary of irradiated and unirradiated regions can be clearly identified by the difference in hardness. The present result implies that swift heavy ion irradiation can be used for the local modification of hardness in Fe–Cu supersaturated alloys.

Precipitation and compositional changes in iron-chromium solid solution alloys due to irradiation by 2 MeV electrons have been studied by high-voltage electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The distinct solute segregation was not observed at irradiation temperatures below 773 K. At 873 K, chromium solutes were enriched by the irradiation at grain boundaries. Thinning of specimens by sputterings due to irradiation was also observed at 873 K. The radiation-induced homogeneous precipitation was observed, although the phase of the precipitates was not identified. It is noteworthy that iron-chromium alloys show spinodal decomposition in high concentrations.

The damage structures of float-zone (Fz) and Czochralski-grown (Cz) Si crystals were evaluated with transmission electron microscopy after irradiation with fission neutrons at various fluences ranging from 1019 to 1022 n/cm2 at temperatures ranging from 473 to 1043 K. The defects were compared with those in crystals of the same type irradiated with fusion neutrons. The morphology of the defect structures is discussed in relation to Marlowe code computer simulation results. The vacancy-type defect clusters formed at 473 K are concluded to initiate from vacancy rich regions at cascades, while the interstitial type clusters formed above 673 K are associated with free interstitials which diffused out of the cascades. In contrast to previous findings for fusion neutron-irradiated Si, in the present study various types of defect morphologies were observed in fission neutron-irradiated Si.

Thin foils of Ni-9.0 at.%Si, Ni-5.0 at.%Co and Ni-4.9 at.%Cu solid solutions were irradiated by 25 keV helium ions and 2 MeV electrons. The solute concentration around a grain boundary in the specimens was measured by EDS in an electron microscope. Silicon atoms and copper atoms were enriched and depleted at grain boundaries by the electron irradiation, respectively. In the He ion irradiation, silicon atoms were more enriched and copper atoms were less depleted at grain boundaries, compared with the electron irradiation. Cobalt concentration was not changed around grain boundaries in either case. The simulation of He ion irradiation based on the reaction rate theory suggests that the suppression of the Cu depletion is due to the decrease of free vacancy concentration, and the enhancement of the Si segregation is caused by the interstitial He atoms. Such a change of the point defect concentrations is caused by the strong interaction between vacancies and helium atoms.

Deuterium and helium ion bombardments of silicon have been performed in the range of 300–673 K as simulation experiments of the effect of protons and helium produced by nuclear reactions with D-T neutrons. The irradiation-induced defects were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and positron annihilation techniques. The spatial distribution of the defects was compared with simulation calculations made using the TRIM-3D code. It was found that cavities were formed by He+ ion bombardment with doses greater than 2 × 1021ions/m2, but not by D+ ion bombardment. {113} interstitial type dislocation loops have been observed by bombardments both with D+ and He+ ions. It was found that the implanted He+ and D+ ions behave differently for the nucleation of irradiation-induced secondary defects.

was substituted for IGF-I(SD), the relationships became more intense (for men, HR=0.47, 95%CI 0.33–0.65, p< 0.001; for women, HR=0.50, 95%CI 0.27–0.91, p = 0.024). Conclusion: The present study showed that lower serum IGF-I levels were associated with the increased all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, suggesting that serum IGF-I could be clinically useful for assessing the risk of mortality in the population.

In-situ observation of defect formation in Fz and Cz silicon with (111) orientation by electron irradiation has been performed at temperatures between -100°C and 550°C using a 2 MeV high voltage electron microscope. Two kinds of interstitial type faulted dislocation loops are formed with and without an incubation period, respectively. The former appears in the region localized at the electron entrance surface, and the latter mainly localized at the electron exit surface. Linear defects, which appear near the electron exit surface, are also observed. Annealing experiments of these secondary defects were carried out around 800°C, and the point defect species which contribute to the shrinkage of the loops were identified as the vacancy, and the mean activation energy of 3.5 eV was obtained for self diffusion.

The angular correlation of gamma rays from the annihilation of positrons in liquid mercury alloys is measured. The momentum distribution of conduction electrons in liquid mercury alloys, especially in liquid Hg - 4 at. %Na, shows an anomalous k -dependence near the Fermi momentum.