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Distributing codes to specific target sensors in order to fix bugs and/or install a new application is an important management task in WSNs (Wireless Sensor Networks). For the energy efficient dissemination of such codes to specific target sensors, it is required to select the minimum required number of forwarders with the fewest control messages. In this paper, we propose a novel RPL (Routing Protocol for Low-power and lossy networks)-based tree construction scheme for target-specific code dissemination, which is called R-TCS. The main idea of R-TCS is that by leveraging the data collection tree created by a standard routing protocol RPL, it is possible to construct the code dissemination tree with the minimum numbers of non-target sensors and control messages. Since by creating a data collection tree each sensor exchanges RPL messages with the root of the tree, every sensor knows which sensors compose its upwards route, i.e. the route towards the root, and downwards route, i.e. the route towards the leaves. Because of these properties, a target sensor can select the upward route that contains the minimum number of non-target sensors. In addition, a sensor whose downward routes do not contain a target sensor is not required to transmit redundant control messages which are related to the code dissemination operation. In this way, R-TCS can reduce the energy consumption which typically happens in other target-specific code dissemination schemes by the transmission of control messages. In fact, various performance evaluation results obtained by means of computer simulations show that R-TCS reduces by at least 50% energy consumption as compared to the other previous known target-specific code dissemination scheme under the condition where ratio of target sensors is 10% of all sensors. © 2020 The Institute of Electronics.

Understanding the impact on human health during peak episodes in air pollution is invaluable for policymakers. Particles less than PM

EM UM MEDIDOR DE VAZAO TIPO VENTURI POR MEIO DE UM SOTWARE DE SIMULACAO CFD (um espaco) (um espaco) A. B. de ALMEIDA 1, C. I. YAMAMOTO 2, L. F. L. LUZ JR. 2 (um espaco) 1 Universidade Federal do Parana, Escola Piloto de Engenharia Quimica da UFPR 1 Universidade Federal do Parana, Departamento de Engenharia Quimica E-mail para contato: amandaborges.almeida@gmail.com (um espaco) RESUMO – O presente trabalho tem como objetivo simular os perfis de velocidade e pressao do medidor de vazao tipo Venturi do Laboratorio de Engenharia Quimica da Universidade Federal do Parana empregando um modelo computacional desenvolvido com a ferramenta CFD, utilizando o programa ANSYS CFX 15.0. O intuito principal e contribuir para as aulas praticas realizadas no curso facilitando o entendimento dos alunos e facilitando o processo de calibracao do instrumento, pois, uma vez validada, a simulacao representa muito bem a realidade. As vazoes experimentais foram obtidas pela diferenca entre as pressoes em diferentes regioes do tubo Venturi utilizando um manometro de mercurio. Os resultados de velocidade, calculados a partir dos dados experimentais, sao comparados com os obtidos a partir da simulacao, verificandose baixos erros de medicao, menores de 2%. Determinou-se tambem o melhor tipo de malha para a geometria de um Venturi. Para isso, realizou-se a simulacao utilizando uma malha estruturada e uma nao estruturada e os resultados de ambas as simulacoes sao comparados com os experimentais. A malha nao estruturada apresentou resultados mais precisos, no entanto os tempos de simulacao foram bem maiores.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) treatment induced metabolic adaptations in mouse skeletal muscle. BDNF (20 mg/kg/day) was injected subcutaneously for successive 14 days. BDNF treatment significantly reduced the total food intake and inhibited the weight gain in comparison to the control group. The glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein expression in the gastrocnemius muscle was significantly increased by BDNF treatment in comparison to the control and pair-fed groups. Neither the oxidative nor the glycolytic enzyme activities in the gastrocnemius muscle changed after the BDNF treatment. These results suggest that the peripheral BDNF treatment promotes the skeletal muscle GLUT4 protein expression as well as hypophagia.

We have proposed a novel poly-Si/a-Si/HfSiON transistor to enhance reliabilities without performance degradation for a 65-nm-node low standby power (LSTP) application. By insertion of a thin amorphous-Si layer between the Poly-Si gate electrode and HfSiON, both phosphorus penetration from gate electrode and a reaction at gate electrode/HfSiON interface are successfully suppressed, so that positive bias temperature instability, one of the biggest issues for high-k gate dielectric, is drastically improved by two orders of magnitude. By carefully optimizing the gate stack structure of HfSiON, the HfSiON device can satisfy both lower gate leakage and gate-induced drain leakage at the same time. As a result, an excellent Ion- Istandby (= Ig + loff) characteristic can be achieved, compared to the conventional SiON device. The a-Si insertion technique can realize the combination between the high-k gate dielectric and Poly-Si for future LSTP applications.

A case of a ferromagnetic foreign body in a medically compromised patient was reported. The patient was a 45-year-old male who consulted our department complaining of a foreign body accidentally impacted in the right cheek. X-ray examination revealed a foreign body at the lateral aspect of the right mandibular ramus. The removal of the foreign body was scheduled, but the patient did not return for the procedure. After 8 years he revisited our department for the removal of the foreign body, because it had been found to be ferromagnetic and a barrier to MRI examination. X-ray examination confirmed the foreign body was located at the same site as 8 years prior. Although the patient was suffering from liver cirrhosis with thrombocytopenia and leukopenia, the foreign body was successfully removed under general anesthesia. The foreign body was 12 × 5 × 1 mm, weighed 0.48 g, and was ferromagnetic. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful. X-ray examination confirmed the removal of the foreign body. Since the surgery, the patient has been in generally stable condition with no complications. This case was a rare example of a foreign body that needed to be removed for medical examination.

Thermal treatment is an interesting strategy to dispose of municipal solid waste: it reduces the volume and weight of the material dumped in landfills and generates alternative energy. However, the process emits pollutants, such as dioxins and furans. The present study evaluated MSW gasification-combustion integrated technologies in terms of dioxin and furan emission; and compared the obtained data with literature results on incineration, to point out which operational features differentiate the release of pollutants by these two processes. The results show that the process of integrated gasification and combustion emitted 0.28 ng N-1 m-3, expressed in TEQ (Total Equivalent Toxicity), of PCDD/F, less than the maximum limits allowed by local and international laws, whereas incineration normally affords values above these limits and requires a gas treatment system. The distinct operational conditions of the two thermal processes, especially those related to temperature and the presence of oxygen and fixed carbon, led to a lower PCDD/F emission in gasification.

2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane or Bisphenol A (BPA), has been reported to behave as an endocrine disrupter below acute toxic levels, and is widely present in the water environment. Although BPA is easily chlorinated, very little is reported on the effect of chlorinated BPA to the aquatic organisms. In this study, the estrogenic activities of BPA and its chlorinated derivatives were evaluated by the induction of vitellogenin (VTG) in the serum of mature male Japanese medaka. In addition, the effect of sodium hypochlorite on the decomposition of BPA was tested. The relative potencies of estrogenic activities of chlorinated BPA descended in the order 3,3′-diClBPA>BPA≥3-ClBPA>3,3′,5-triClBPA, and no estrogenic activity was observed in 3,3′,5,5′-tetraClBPA. Lowest Observed Effect Concentration (LOEC) and No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) for both 3-ClBPA and 3,3′-diClBPA were 500 μg/L and 200 μg/L, respectively. LOEC for 3,3′,5-triClBPA was >500 μg/L. When BPA was reacted with sodium hypochlorite (24 hours; residual chlorine at 1 ppm), however, complete decomposition of BPA and its chlorinated derivatives was observed. The decrease in BPA and its chlorinated derivatives paralleled the decrease in estrogenic potency evaluated by the induction of vitellogenin (VTG) in the serum of mature male Japanese medaka.

The air shower arrival time intervals (ASATIs) were observed for several years at five different far-off stations to study the chaotic feature of the cosmic rays. The total number of chaotic time series of ASATIs is 99 from February 1994 to November 2000. The chaotic ASATIs appear six times simultaneously between two different stations, showing a higher probability of simultaneous chaos detection than the random occurrence as implied by the fractal wave pattern of cosmic ray clouds. The average fractal dimension of the fractional chaotic ASATIs for each station is 3.7 ± 0.1 pm with average duration of 23 h. The distribution of the representative (central) right ascension of air showers among 99 chaotic ASATIs has two peaks around 4 h and 20 h. The time variation of the chaotic feature of the ASATIs for several days shows a quasi-periodic behaviour with the rotation of the earth. These results seem to indicate that the chaotic cosmic rays arrive at the earth, forming wave trains like a fractal pattern which covers an area of the galactic plane surrounding the earth.

The Large Area Air Shower (LAAS) group has been performing a network observation of extensive air showers (EAS) since 1996 in Japan. Eight compact EAS arrays (ten in the near future) are operating simultaneously and independently at distant stations (up to ≈ 1000 km), constituting a gigantic detector system as a whole. Using five stations' datasets, large-scale coincidences of EAS have been searched for with the aim of detecting signals from extremely short bursts in the universe. By comparing arrival times and arrival directions of all registered EAS, three coincident and parallel EAS pairs were extracted out of a sea of background cosmic rays. One of them was observed almost from the direction of the Crab Nebula, a previously reported ultra-high-energy γ-ray source. The first application reported here allows the analysis techniques to be tested and demonstrates the potential of observations with the full operation of the network detector system.

The multimodality treatment approach for advanced breast cancer provides survival advantages with decreased locoregional and distant recurrences, but these intensive anti-tumour treatments cause severe myelosuppression. Thus, in this study, the usefulness of pre-operative anti-tumour treatment without myelosuppression was investigated. Nine patients with advanced breast carcinoma underwent pre-operative hyperthermic tumour ablation (HTA) using an 8 MHz radiofrequency (RF) heating device (Thermotron RF-8) combined with a grounded needle electrode. The patients had a mean age of 58.3+/-13.9 years and included four patients with stage IIIA, two with stage IIIB and three with stage IV cancer. The target temperature was over 50 degrees C. They tolerated pre-operative HTA therapy well with no early or late complications. The initial mean tumour size was 122.1+/-71.5 cm3 and the post-HTA tumour size was 82.2+/-63.4 cm3; the reduction rate was significant (p = 0.000 293). After the pre-operative HTA, all patients underwent surgery with Level III nodal extirpation. Post-operatively, no locoregional recurrence was observed. Microscopic examination of the primary focus showed complete coagulation necrosis expanding for a diameter of 3.5-5.0 cm. Taken together, the pre-operative HTA was a safe, well-tolerated and effective treatment, achieving tumour reduction as well as complete coagulation necrosis that resulted in a large volume of destruction in breast cancer tissue.

Multilevel PWM inverters have significant advantages over the conventional one because of the capability of operating the motor with nearly sinusoidal current waveforms and higher output voltages. In order to increase the power rating of the inverter, connection in parallel would be effective in the present case. In high-power applications, for instance, the carriers should be synchronized to the modulating sinusoidal waves. Moreover, for the interphase reactor, lower order harmonic application is prohibited. In practice, to improve the harmonic characteristics of the parallel-connected five-level inverter, two modulation strategies have been devised and designed in this paper. It is found that the DC current flow through the DC power supplies can be controlled by means of phase shifting of the injected third order harmonics. In the case of a static VAr compensator (SVC), the output capacitor voltages can be controlled by means of this technique.

In order to evaluate the utility of the mouse lymphoma assay (MLA) for detecting in vitro clastogens and spindle poisons and to compare it with the in vitro chromosomal aberration test (CA), we conducted an international collaborative study of the MLA that included 45 Japanese laboratories and seven overseas laboratories under the cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan and the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association. We examined 40 chemicals; 33 were reportedly positive in the CA but negative in the bacterial reverse mutation assay, six were negative in both assays and one was positive in both. We assayed mutations of the thymidine kinase (TK) locus (tk) of L5178Y tk +/- mouse lymphoma cells using the microwell method. According to our standard protocol, cells were exposed to the chemical for 3 h, cultured for 2 days and TK-deficient mutants were expressed in 96-well plates under trifluorothymidine. Each chemical was coded and tested by two or three laboratories. Among the 34 CA-positive chemicals, positive MLA results were obtained for 20 and negative results were obtained for nine. The remaining five chemicals were inconclusive or equivocal because of discrepant inter-laboratory results or reproduced discrepant results, respectively. Among the six CA-negative chemicals, one was negative in the MLA, two were positive and three were inconclusive. Thus, the MLA could detect only 59% (20/34) of CA-positive chemicals. We concluded that the MLA was not as sensitive as the CA. Some MLA-negative chemicals evoked positive responses in the CA only after long continuous treatment. These might also be genotoxic in the MLA with long continuous treatment. Improvement of the MLA protocol, including alteration of the duration of the treatment, might render the MLA as sensitive as the CA.

This paper describes an investigation on the combined influence of environment and temperature on the tribological behaviour of a carbon–carbon (C/C) composite material with a particular reference to the interaction between water vapour and oxygen in air and the carbon surface. Experiments were conducted in nitrogen and air with a low-speed three-pins-on-disc apparatus and a high-energy ring-on-ring apparatus. Like conventional graphitic carbon materials, C/C composites exhibited a high friction and wear phenomenon, also known as “dusting”, in dry nitrogen from room temperature up to 700°C owing to the lack of lubricant gases and vapours in the environment. In ambient air, however, C/C composites exhibited three temperature-dependent tribological regimes. Abrupt increases in the friction at 150–200°C and 650–700°C marked the transitions between different regimes. The transition phenomena were explained in terms of the desorption of physisorbed water vapour and chemisorbed oxygen from the rubbing surface.

A magnetic field sensor made of an electrostrictive plate and magnetostrictive layers is investigated. Its response to an external field suggests that the sensor has sensitivity high enough to detect terrestrial field. An analysis to predict the basic behavior was developed. Deviation of the experiments from the theoretical curve was attributed to complicated domain structures. Performance of a feedback system to improve the characteristics is demonstrated. It is expected that the performance would be improved appreciably by fabricating them by a thin film process.

The neutrophil-derived, membrane-permeating oxidant, NH2Cl, (but not the non-membrane-permeating chloramine, taurine-NHCl) induced detachment of fetal mouse cardiac myocytes and other cell types (fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells) from the culture dish, concomitant with cell shrinkage ("peeling off"). Stimulated human neutrophils also induced peeling off of cultured mouse cardiac myocytes when the latter were pretreated with inhibitors of .OH and elastase. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the NH2Cl-induced peeling off of WI-38 fibroblasts is accompanied by disorganization of integrin alpha 5 beta 1, vinculin, stress fibers, and phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr)-containing proteins. Decrease in the content of the p-Tyr-containing proteins of the NH2Cl-treated cells was analyzed by immunoblotting techniques. Coating of fibronectin on the culture dish prevented both NH2Cl-induced peeling off and a decrease in p-Tyr content. Preincubation with a protein-tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate (Na3VO4), also prevented NH2Cl-induced peeling off, suggesting that dephosphorylation of p-Tyr is necessary for peeling off. NH2Cl-induced peeling off was accompanied by an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in mouse cardiac myocytes and WI-38 fibroblasts. The absence of extracellular Ca2+ prevented both NH2Cl-induced peeling off and increased [Ca2+]i, both of which did occur on subsequent incubation of the cells in Ca2+-containing medium. These observations suggest that an increase in [Ca2+]i is also necessary for peeling off. Depletion of microsomal and cytosolic Ca2+ by incubation with the microsomal Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor 2',5'-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (BHQ) plus EGTA prevented both NH2Cl-induced increases in [Ca2+]i and peeling off. Direct inhibition of microsomal Ca2+ pump activity by NH2Cl may participate in the NH2Cl-induced [Ca2+]i increment. A combination of p-Tyr dephosphorylation by genistein (an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase) and an increase in [Ca2+]i by BHQ could also induce peeling off. All these observations suggest a synergism between p-Tyr dephosphorylation and increased [Ca2+]i in NH2Cl-induced peeling off.

Cultured quail myocytes were much more resistant to H2O2 toxicity than cultured mouse myocytes. The intracellular concentration of glutathione ([GSH]i) and the activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) in quail heart cells were about five and three times higher, respectively, than in mouse heart cells, although catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx) activity was similar in both. Preloading of gamma-glutamylcysteine monoethyl ester (gamma-GCE), a membrane-permeating GSH precursor, increased the H2O2 resistance of cultured mouse myocytes. These observations suggest that the high [GSH]i and the high activity of gamma-GCS in quail myocytes are responsible for their high resistance to H2O2. Both H2O2 sensitivity and [GSH]i of mosaic sheets composed of equal amounts of mouse and quail myocytes approximated those of sheets composed entirely of quail myocytes. From these observations, it is hypothesized that GSH was transferred from quail myocytes to mouse myocytes, probably through gap junctions between them, and that quail myocytes resynthesized GSH by a feedback mechanism, thus maintaining their intracellular GSH levels. When the fluorescent dye lucifer yellow was injected into a beating quail myocyte in a mosaic sheet, it spread to neighboring mouse myocytes but not to neighboring L cells (a cell line derived from mouse connective tissue). These observations indicate that existence of gap junctions in the region of cell contact between mouse and quail myocytes but not between quail myocytes and L cells. When quail myocytes preloaded with [3H]gamma-GCE were cocultured with mouse myocytes and L cells, the radioactivity was transmitted to neighboring mouse myocytes but not L cells. These observations show that GSH and/or its precursors can be transmitted from quail myocytes to mouse myocytes through gap junctions and that this can protect mouse myocytes from H2O2 toxicity. Mouse myocyte sheets composed of 10(4) cells or more showed higher resistance to H2O2 toxicity than single isolated mouse myocytes. Metabolic coupling of GSH between myocytes may contribute at least in part to this high resistance of the cell sheets.

The rat aldolase A gene contains two alternative promoters and two alternative first exons. The distal promoter M is expressed at a high level only in skeletal muscle. Previous in vitro transfection studies identified the region from -202 to -85 as an enhancer that is responsible for dramatic activation during the differentiation of chicken primary myoblasts. This enhancer contains an A/T-rich sequence resembling the MEF-2 motif, which is an important element of muscle enhancers and promoters. In this study, we demonstrate that the MEF-2 sequence is essential but not sufficient for the activity of the enhancer. Another region required for the activity was recognized by a nuclear factor, tentatively named MAF1. MAF1 was found in both muscle cells and nonmuscle cells, and MAF1 from both cell types was indistinguishable by gel retardation and DNase I footprint experiments. The sequence required for MAF1 binding is very similar to the MEF-3 motif, which is an element of the skeletal muscle-specific enhancer of the cardiac troponin C gene. Because MAF1 and MEF-3 are closely related in both recognition sequence and distribution, MAF1 and MEF-3 probably represent the same nuclear factor which may play an important role in muscle gene transcription. Thus, the muscle-specific induction of the aldolase A gene is governed by muscle-specific MEF-2 and existing MEF-3 (MAF1).

Lipopolysaccharide treatment of mouse macrophage-like J774 cells was found to result in the activation of three different nuclear proteins which specifically bind to oligonucleotide containing the NF-kappa B motif of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gene. These are designated as NF-kappa B1, -kappa B2, and -kappa B3, according to their electrophoretic mobilities (fast, intermediate, and slow, respectively). Immunological and UV cross-linking studies showed that NF-kappa B1 consists of only p50 subunit, whereas both NF-kappa B2 and -kappa B3 contain NF-kappa B p65 subunit and c-Rel. In addition, NF-kappa B2 was also found to contain p50 subunit of NF-kappa B. The binding of three types of NF-kappa B proteins to HIV NF-kappa B motif was effectively inhibited by other NF-kappa B motifs, whose 3' half-site nucleotide sequences are T/A-T-T/C-CC (HIV, interleukin-6, interferon (INF)-beta, H2-Kb, I-E alpha d, and TNF-alpha 2 (nucleotide position -510)) and much less effectively by NF-kappa B motifs with 3' half-site sequences of TGCCC (TNF-alpha 3, nucleotide position -610), ATCTC (G-CSF), TATTC (Fc gamma R), or TCCTT (TNF-alpha 1, nucleotide position -850). Our data also suggested that NF-kappa B1 and -kappa B2 which contain p50 subunit of NF-kappa B bind with the higher preference for NF-kappa B motif of H2-Kb gene promoter than that of INF-beta, whereas NF-kappa B3 which does not contain p50 subunit appears to preferentially bind to NF-kappa B sites of IFN-beta.

The instrumented Charpy impact test has been widely used as a simple method semi-empirically evaluating the material impact toughness. The authors have developed a new dynamic fracture tougness evaluation system using a instrumented Charpy impact testing machine aided with a personal computer, which has been called the ‘CAI (Computer-Aided instrumented Charpy Impact testing)’ system. Using the CAI system, dynamic fracture toughness such as K d , J d , T mat and various energies can be obtained from the load-deflection curve of a single pre-cracked specimen. In this paper, in addition to the detail of the CAI system, the elastic deformation behaviour of the Charpy testing machine and its correspondence in the CAI system are described.

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a major cause of morbidity after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Many therapies have been investigated to prevent or treat HC, but effective treatment for HC is still limited. While the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been established for HC due to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, its role in HC occurring after allogeneic BMT has yet to be defined. We report two cases of life-threatening late-onset HC after allogeneic BMT in children, which resolved after treatment with hyperbaric oxygen.