Search

Background/Purpose Worsening renal function (WRF) can sometimes occur in the patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality (1). In a previous study, it was reported that fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) reflects net sodium reabsorption from nephron segments and predicts WRF during treating ADHF (2). On the other hand, recently the new drugs which approach urine concentration mechanism and affect urine osmolality (U-OSM), such as tolvaptan and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, have begun to be widely used as treatment of heart failure. Thus, we focused on U-OSM, which reflects not only sodium handling but also water excretion controlled by the collecting duct, and evaluated the association between WRF and U-OSM. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that FENa, fractional excretion of urea nitrogen and transtubular potassium concentration gradient are markers for long-term prognosis in patients with ADHF (3–5). Therefore, we also studied whether U-OSM can predict prognosis in ADHF. Methods A total of 157 patients admitted to our hospital because of a primary diagnosis of ADHF from February 2020 through July 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. U-OSM in the spot urinary samples were examined within 72 hours after admission. U-OSM was calculated based on the following validated formula (6): U-OSM = 1.07 × {2 × [urine sodium (mEq/L)] + [urine urea nitrogen (mg/dL)]/2.8 + [urine creatinine (mg/dl)] × 2/3} + 16.2. The primary outcome was the occurrence of WRF during hospitalization. WRF was defined as increased serum creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL from baseline (7). The secondary outcome was the occurrence of ADHF readmission and all-cause death within 180 days after discharge. Results Primary Outcome. WRF developed in 46% of all patients. In the patients that developed WRF during hospitalization, U-OSM was significantly lower than in the patients without WRF (366±106 mOsm/L versus 430±128 mOsm/L; P Secondary Outcome. There were 34 patients (22%) readmitted and 9 patients (6%) died within 180 days after discharge. ROC curve analysis revealed the optimal cutoff values of U-OSM as 349 mOsm/L (C-statistic 0.74; 95% CI: 0.65–0.83; P Conclusion U-OSM on admission may be a predictor of WRF and a prognostic marker in ADHF patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background Controversy exists as to whether the threshold for blood pressure-lowering treatment should differ between people with and without type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the effects of blood pressure-lowering treatment on the risk of major cardiovascular events by type 2 diabetes status, as well as by baseline levels of systolic blood pressure. Methods We conducted a one-stage individual participant-level data meta-analysis of major randomised controlled trials using the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration dataset. Trials with information on type 2 diabetes status at baseline were eligible if they compared blood pressure-lowering medications versus placebo or other classes of blood pressure-lowering medications, or an intensive versus a standard blood pressure-lowering strategy, and reported at least 1000 persons-years of follow-up in each group. Trials exclusively on participants with heart failure or with short-term therapies and acute myocardial infarction or other acute settings were excluded. We expressed treatment effect per 5 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure on the risk of developing a major cardiovascular event as the primary outcome, defined as the first occurrence of fatal or non-fatal stroke or cerebrovascular disease, fatal or non-fatal ischaemic heart disease, or heart failure causing death or requiring hospitalisation. Cox proportional hazard models, stratified by trial, were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) separately by type 2 diabetes status at baseline, with further stratification by baseline categories of systolic blood pressure (in 10 mm Hg increments from Findings We included data from 51 randomised clinical trials published between 1981 and 2014 involving 358 533 participants (58% men), among whom 103 325 (29%) had known type 2 diabetes at baseline. The baseline mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure of those with and without type 2 diabetes was 149/84 mm Hg (SD 19/11) and 153/88 mm Hg (SD 21/12), respectively. Over 4·2 years median follow-up (IQR 3·0–5·0), a 5 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure decreased the risk of major cardiovascular events in both groups, but with a weaker relative treatment effect in participants with type 2 diabetes (HR 0·94 [95% CI 0·91–0·98]) compared with those without type 2 diabetes (0·89 [0·87–0·92]; pinteraction=0·0013). However, absolute risk reductions did not differ substantially between people with and without type 2 diabetes because of the higher absolute cardiovascular risk among participants with type 2 diabetes. We found no reliable evidence for heterogeneity of treatment effects by baseline systolic blood pressure in either group. In keeping with the primary findings, analysis using stratified network meta-analysis showed no evidence that relative treatment effects differed substantially between participants with type 2 diabetes and those without for any of the drug classes investigated. Interpretation Although the relative beneficial effects of blood pressure reduction on major cardiovascular events were weaker in participants with type 2 diabetes than in those without, absolute effects were similar. The difference in relative risk reduction was not related to the baseline blood pressure or allocation to different drug classes. Therefore, the adoption of differential blood pressure thresholds, intensities of blood pressure lowering, or drug classes used in people with and without type 2 diabetes is not warranted. Funding British Heart Foundation, UK National Institute for Health Research, and Oxford Martin School.

Findings 33 trials met the inclusion criteria, and included 260 447 participants with 15 012 cancer events. Median follow-up of included participants was 4?2 years (IQR 3?0?5?0). In the individual participant data meta-analysis comparing each drug class with all other comparators, no associations were identified between any antihypertensive drug class and risk of any cancer (HR 0?99 [95% CI 0?95?1?04] for ACEIs; 0?96 [0?92?1?01] for ARBs; 0?98 [0?89?1?07] for 13 blockers; 1?01 [0?95?1?07] for thiazides), with the exception of calcium channel blockers (1?06 [1?01?1?11]). In the network meta-analysis comparing drug classes against placebo, we found no excess cancer risk with any drug class (HR 1?00 [95% CI 0?93?1?09] for ACEIs; 0?99 [0?92?1?06] for ARBs; 0?99 [0?89?1?11] for 13 blockers; 1?04 [0?96?1?13] for calcium channel blockers; 1?00 [0?90?1?10] for thiazides). Summary Background Some studies have suggested a link between antihypertensive medication and cancer, but the evidence is so far inconclusive. Thus, we aimed to investigate this association in a large individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Methods We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov from Jan 1, 1966, to Sept 1, 2019, to identify potentially eligible randomised controlled trials. Eligible studies were randomised controlled trials comparing one blood pressure lowering drug class with a placebo, inactive control, or other blood pressure lowering drug. We also required that trials had at least 1000 participant years of follow-up in each treatment group. Trials without cancer event information were excluded. We requested individual participant data from the authors of eligible trials. We pooled individual participant-level data from eligible trials and assessed the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), 13 blockers, calcium channel blockers, and thiazide diuretics on cancer risk in one-stage individual participant data and network meta-analyses. Cause-specific fixed-effects Cox regression models, stratified by trial, were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs). The primary outcome was any cancer event, defined as the first occurrence of any cancer diagnosed after randomisation. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018099283). Findings 33 trials met the inclusion criteria, and included 260 447 participants with 15 012 cancer events. Median follow-up of included participants was 4 & middot;2 years (IQR 3 & middot;0 & ndash;5 & middot;0). In the individual participant data meta-analysis comparing each drug class with all other comparators, no associations were identified between any antihypertensive drug class and risk of any cancer (HR 0 & middot;99 [95% CI 0 & middot;95 & ndash;1 & middot;04] for ACEIs; 0 & middot;96 [0 & middot;92 & ndash;1 & middot;01] for ARBs; 0 & middot;98 [0 & middot;89 & ndash;1 & middot;07] for 13 blockers; 1 & middot;01 [0 & middot;95 & ndash;1 & middot;07] for thiazides), with the exception of calcium channel blockers (1 & middot;06 [1 & middot;01 & ndash;1 & middot;11]). In the network meta-analysis comparing drug classes against placebo, we found no excess cancer risk with any drug class (HR 1 & middot;00 [95% CI 0 & middot;93 & ndash;1 & middot;09] for ACEIs; 0 & middot;99 [0 & middot;92 & ndash;1 & middot;06] for ARBs; 0 & middot;99 [0 & middot;89 & ndash;1 & middot;11] for 13 blockers; 1 & middot;04 [0 & middot;96 & ndash;1 & middot;13] for calcium channel blockers; 1 & middot;00 [0 & middot;90 & ndash;1 & middot;10] for thiazides). Interpretation We found no consistent evidence that antihypertensive medication use had any effect on cancer risk. Although such findings are reassuring, evidence for some comparisons was insufficient to entirely rule out excess risk, in particular for calcium channel blockers.

In this study, we investigated the capability of the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) in simulating the broadband sound generated from a cross-flow fan. The present method is based on the lattice Boltzmann equation with the D3Q27 particle velocity model, and the cascaded collision operator was used to stably simulate high-Reynolds-number flows. Furthermore, the direct-forcing approach was used to consider rotating blades in the regular lattice. To capture turbulence eddies in the rotor, we used a high-resolution grid that contained approximately 340 million nodes. The simulation successfully captured the fundamental flow features of the cross-flow fan such as the eccentric vortex, and the simulation results were consistent with the experimental results in terms of the time-averaged velocity distribution at the outlet of the fan. In addition, by resolving turbulent eddies in the impeller, the simulation successfully predicted the broadband sound spectrum in the frequency range of 2 kHz or less.

H. Jokinen työryhmän jäsenenä. Introduction: Numerous diagnostic criteria have tried to tackle the variability in clinical manifestations and problematic diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) but none have been universally accepted. These criteria have not been readily comparable, impacting on clinical diagnosis rates and in turn prevalence estimates, research, and treatment. Methods: The Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study (VICCCS) involved participants (81% academic researchers) from 27 countries in an online Delphi consensus study. Participants reviewed previously proposed concepts to develop new guidelines. Results: VICCCS had a mean of 122 (98-153) respondents across the study and a 67% threshold to represent consensus. VICCCS redefined VCI including classification of mild and major forms of VCI and subtypes. It proposes new standardized VCI-associated terminology and future research priorities to address gaps in current knowledge. Discussion: VICCCS proposes a consensus-based updated conceptualization of VCI intended to facilitate standardization in research. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

We have updated the Regional Emission inventory in ASia (REAS) as version 2.1. REAS 2.1 includes most major air pollutants and greenhouse gases from each year during 2000 and 2008 and following areas of Asia: East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia and the Asian part of Russia. Emissions are estimated for each country and region using updated activity data and parameters. Monthly gridded data with a 0.25° × 0.25° resolution are also provided. Asian emissions for each species in 2008 are as follows (with their growth rate from 2000 to 2008): 56.9 Tg (+34%) for SO2, 53.9 Tg (+54%) for NOx, 359.5 Tg (+34%) for CO, 68.5 Tg (+46%) for non-methane volatile organic compounds, 32.8 Tg (+17%) for NH3, 36.4 Tg (+45%) for PM10, 24.7 Tg (+42%) for PM2.5, 3.03 Tg (+35%) for black carbon, 7.72 Tg (+21%) for organic carbon, 182.2 Tg (+32%) for CH4, 5.80 Tg (+18%) for N2O, and 16.0 Pg (+57%) for CO2. By country, China and India were respectively the largest and second largest contributors to Asian emissions. Both countries also had higher growth rates in emissions than others because of their continuous increases in energy consumption, industrial activities, and infrastructure development. In China, emission mitigation measures have been implemented gradually. Emissions of SO2 in China increased from 2000 to 2006 and then began to decrease as flue-gas desulphurization was installed to large power plants. On the other hand, emissions of air pollutants in total East Asia except for China decreased from 2000 to 2008 owing to lower economic growth rates and more effective emission regulations in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Emissions from other regions generally increased from 2000 to 2008, although their relative shares of total Asian emissions are smaller than those of China and India. Tables of annual emissions by country and region broken down by sub-sector and fuel type, and monthly gridded emission data with a resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° for the major sectors are available from the following URL: http://www.nies.go.jp/REAS/.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a challenging disease characterized by low incidence, rapid progression, and poor survival. The epidemiology of IBC has been slow to emerge, given that the rarity of IBC makes large prospective clinical trials difficult. Compared to non-IBC, well-established features of IBC include a younger age of onset and lower frequency of hormone receptor positivity. Higher body mass index (BMI) is a purported risk factor. Previous reports also suggest that IBC is associated with more racial disparities, including incidence and age at diagnosis. The epidemiology of IBC in East Asia, however, has not been investigated. We performed a comparative study of IBC in Japan versus the United States to determine its epidemiologic and clinical features and to evaluate the differences in epidemiological factors between the two countries. Patients and Method: Patients who visited St. Luke's International hospital (SLIH) in Tokyo, Japan and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDA) in Texas, USA between 2003 and 2009 were identified. Epidemiological and biological data were collected from electronic medical records. Patient and tumor characteristics were tabulated and stratified by hospital. Kaplan-Meier curves were created for survival estimates and log-rank test was used for cross-group comparisons. Cox proportional-hazard analysis was used to identify a subset of significant prognostic variables that related to overall survival. Result: 34 patients at SLIH and 531 patients at MDA were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 52 years old (range, 32–81, SD, 10.8) and 50 years old (range, 22–87, SD, 11.6), respectively (P=0.476). Mean BMI was 22.9 kg/m2 (range, 17.3−30.5, SD 3.3 ) and 31.0 kg/m2 (range, 13.6−88.9, SD, 7.8) respectively (P Conclusion: Though IBC at SLIH differed significantly from IBC at MDA by several epidemiologic and biologic factors, there was no significant difference in survival. To define the epidemiological, prognostic, and risk factors of IBC in Japan, as well as in the world, further studies are needed. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-20-05.

For the purpose of realising the battery-less smart shoes, we have developed piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters (PVEHs), and PVEH-driven sports shoes. The smart shoes are equipped with acceleration sensors in the sole and Bluetooth LE (BLE) modules, which were driven by PVEHs composed of piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers. We have confirmed the capability of the PVEHs to frequently transmit the sensing data from the beacons of BLE when the subjects practically run while wearing shoes.

s / Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 23 (2015) A26eA81 A32 in age-related phenotypes. We have identified two lines which develop osteoarthritis, both with pleiotropic effects, and are characterising the pathogenic pathways in detail. In addition to characterising disease phenotypes we are now beginning to screen for advantageous or healthy ageing phenotypes. 12 COMPREHENSIVE TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF AGING-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION IN EARLY PHASE OF POST-TRAUMATIC OSTEOARTHRITIS T. Fukui y, A.B. Castillo z, J.H. Yik y, D.R. Haudenschild y. y Lawrence J. Ellison Musculoskeletal Res. Ctr., Sacramento, CA, United States; zDept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York Univ., New York

Background: Risk stratification for mortality in intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) helps guide care, but existing clinical prediction rules are too cumbersome for clinical practice because of their complexity. Aim: To develop a simple decision tree model of in-hospital mortality risk stratification for ICH patients. Methods: We collected information on spontaneous ICH patients hospitalized in a teaching hospital in Japan from August, 1998 to December, 2001 ( n = 374). All variables were abstracted from data available at the time of initial evaluation. A prediction rule for in-hospital mortality was developed by the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) methodology. The accuracy of the model was evaluated using the area under receiver-operator characteristic curve. Results: Overall in-hospital mortality rate was 20.2%. The CART methodology identified four groups for mortality risk, varying from low (2.1%) to high (58.9%). Level of consciousness (coma) was the best single predictor for mortality, followed by high ICH volume (cut-off 10.4 ml), and then age (cut-off 75 years). The accuracy of our CART model (0.86) exceeded that of a multivariate logistic regression model (0.81). Discussion: ICH patients can easily be stratified for mortality risk, based on three predictors available on admission. This simple decision tree model provides clinicians with a reliable and practical tool.

To determine the reservoir animals and vector ticks for Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Far East Asia, which causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis, we analyzed tissue samples from deer and boars in Japan rodents in Taiwan and. Ixodes persulcatus in Russia by PCR-targeted. to 16S rDNA. Anaplasma species including Anaplasma bovis and. Anaplasma centrale-infected wild deer and boars were detected. The detection rates for A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and. A. centrale in deer were 15,6 %, 21,9 % and. 37,5 %, respectively. These infection rates in wild boar were 3,6 %, 17,9 % and. 3,6 %, respectively. Wild rodents captured in Taiwan were positive for A. phagocytophilum. and. A. bovis. Prevalence rate of A. phagocytophilum. on I. persulcatus ticks in Irkutsk and. in Khabarovsk were 6,3 % and. 11,3 %, respectively. The 16SrDNA sequences detected from Russian ticks were identical to those of A. phagocytophilum. detected, in US and. Europe, and. from tick Ixodes ovatus and. Ixodes persulcatus in Japan. However the sequence detected from deer and boars in Japan were identical to sequences previously detected from deer and cattle in Japan, and. showed. less similarity (98,6 %) with typical A. phagocytophilum.. Sequences detected from wild rodents collected in Taiwan showed higher similarity (99,7 %) with typical A. phagocytophilum but formed the branch from those of A. phagocytophilum. detected in US and Europe. The finding suggests that the A. phagocytophilum-related sequence detected from deer and boars in Japan, and. wild rodents in Taiwan were different from those of typical A. phagocytophilum. found in Ixodid ticks.

FUNDAMENTOS:Acanthosis nigricans (AN) tem sido associada a diversos distúrbios metabólicos e endócrinos. OBJETIVOS: O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a freqüência das co-morbidades da síndrome metabólica em mulheres obesas de uma população miscigenada com AN, comparada a um grupo sem AN. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas 481 mulheres, consecutivamente admitidas em um ambulatório de obesidade (388 com AN e 93 sem AN) e submetidas ao teste de tolerância à glicose oral, excetuando-se 20, que já se sabiam diabéticas. RESULTADOS: A distribuição segundo a raça indicou 34,5% de brancas, 38,9% de pardas e 26,6% de negras. A freqüência global de AN foi de 80,7%, sendo fortemente maior nas negras versus brancas (90,6 % e 66,9%, p=0,000000) e negras versus pardas (86% e 90,6%, p= 0,000006). Foi também maior nas pardas versus brancas (86% e 66,9%, pBACKGROUND: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) has been associated with various metabolic and endocrine disturbances. OBJECTIVE: TThe objective of this study is to evaluate the frequency of metabolic syndrome clusters in a group of obese mixed-race women with AN as compared to a group without AN. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 481 women consecutively admitted to an outpatient obesity clinic were studied: 388 with AN, and 93 without AN. Except for 20 diabetic patients, all patients were submitted to an oral glucose tolerance test (75 g). RESULTS: The skin color distribution was 34.5% white, 38.9% mulatto and 26.6% black. The global frequency of AN was 80.7%. AN frequency was significantly higher in black versus white and black versus mulatto (90.6 % and 66.9%, p = 0.000006). It was also higher in mulatto versus white (86% and 66.9%, p

The case of a 34-year-old man with relapsing Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which occurred five months after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, is described. He was originally treated with aggressive chemotherapy, which put him in hematological remission, and he subsequently received donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) form the original donor. To assess the efficacy of this adoptive immunotherapy, we monitored minor-BCR/ABL (m-BCR/ABL) mRNA levels using the recently established real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RQ-PCR) assay. The results were compared with those obtained using conventional qualitative RT-PCR assays run in parallel. RQ-PCR, but not RT-PCR-based, minimum residual disease (MRD) detection showed a good correlation with the rapid changes documented during the post-DLI clinical course. Currently, six months after DLI, the patient continues to be in remission, which is consistent with the undetectable levels of m-BCR/ABL mRNA in the leukemic clone using RQ-PCR found in this study. Thus, monitoring of m-bcr/abl transcripts using RQ-PCR provides more useful information on a clinical assessment of MRD.

Prime novelty: The smoothness of the synthesized boron-doped diamond was improved by the pre-treatment of a hydrogen plasma. Moreover, the Hall mobility also increased with this pre-treatment. Surface morphology and electrical properties, such as electrical conductivity, hole concentration and Hall mobility, were investigated for boron-doped diamond films, which were synthesized by microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) on a (100) diamond substrate. Trimethylboron (TMB) was used as a dopant source and methane (CH4) was used as a carbon source. The morphology of the synthesized diamond surface depended on the MPCVD conditions such as TMB and CH4 concentrations in the gas phase, and lower concentrations of TMB and CH4 lead to a smoother surface. When the substrate was treated in a hydrogen plasma, the electrical properties of the boron-doped diamond films, as well as the smoothness of the surface, were improved. After optimizing the synthesis conditions, Hall mobility reached to 2020 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 243 K for a diamond film with a hole concentration of 5×1012 cm−3.

Boron was doped into diamond films which were synthesized homoepitaxially on polished (100) diamond substrates by means of microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) using trimethylboron as the dopant at a constant substrate temperature of 1073 K. The morphologies and electrical properties of the synthesized diamond films were dependent on the total reaction pressure. A maximum Hall mobility, 760 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , was obtained for the film synthesized at 10.7 kPa. The values of Hall mobility were comparable with those obtained for B 2 H 6 -doped films at corresponding hole concentrations.

Although many researchers have investigated voltage life characteristics of XLPE cables, the voltage life curve of XLPE insulation has not been made clear because of large deviations in the obtained data. Moreover, the voltage life curve of a XLPE cable, which is significantly affected by defect size and shape, cannot be applied to another cable having different defects. The authors obtained an intrinsic stress life curve of XLPE which included no defects. The intrinsic stress life curve demonstrates the existence of a threshold stress, which causes no degradation in the insulation. The application of the intrinsic stress life curve makes possible to estimate the voltage life curve of any cable with known defects. A method for calculating the defect size that would not initiate any degradation in XLPE insulation under a given electrical stress is proposed.

Lung cancer is a frequent complication in pulmonary fibrosis. Overexpression of p53 proteins has been demonstrated by immunostaining in bronchoepithelial cells in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is still unclear whether this overexpressed p53 protein is wild-type or mutant. It was hypothesized that pulmonary fibrosis may be a precancerous lesion with deoxyribonucleic acid point mutations in bronchoepithelial cells. Mutations of the p53 gene were tested for by fluorescence-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (FSSCP), cloning-sequencing and immunostaining techniques. Out of 10 tissue samples that demonstrated overexpression of p53 protein by immunostaining, nine (90%) exhibited point mutations and eight (80%) exhibited heterogeneous point mutations of the p53 gene. The mutations found in pulmonary fibrosis were scattered throughout the central part of the p53 gene, and both guanine (G):cytosine (C) to adenine (A):thymine (T) and A:T to G:C transitions were frequently observed. In conclusion, frequent heterogeneous point mutations of the p53 gene were detected in pulmonary fibrosis. These mutations may have resulted from several types of deoxyribonucleic acid damage that occurred in bronchoepithelial cells and this may explain previous findings of a very high incidence of lung cancer complicating pulmonary fibrosis.

Effects of ternary additions, Co and Cr, on martensite transformation temperatures and mechanical properties of offstoichiometric NiTi alloys were investigated. Martensite transformation start temperature (M s ) and austenite transformation start temperature (A s ) were determined by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA) in the temperature range between 77 and 423 K. Mechanical properties of yield stress and work-hardening coefficient were investigated using B2-stabilized NiTi alloys, whose alloy compositions were based on Ni-49 mol% Ti. It has been shown that (1) M s and A s considerably decrease with decreasing Ti concentration on the Ti poor side of stoichiometry (the concentration of Ti is less than 50 mol%); (2) M s and A s change slightly when Ti concentration is more than 52 mol%, where the alloys are in the two phase region; and (3) M s and A s decrease with increasing Cr and Co content with a constant Ti concentration. In the present analysis for evaluating the effect of ternary additions on M s , we use M s change by adding 1 mol% of ternary elements. M s changes by Cr addition are −65 K mol% −1 on the Ti rich side and −46 K mol% −1 on the Ti poor side. M s changes by Co addition are −15 K mol% −1 on the Ti rich side and −30 K mol% −1 on the Ti poor side. Both Cr and Co atoms are suggested to locate Ni sites preferably if only M s changes are considered. Characteristic stress-strain curves have indicated that the stress induced martensitic transformation (SIMT) occurred at 77 K. Above room temperature, work hardening coefficient at a permanent strain of 1% was found to be between 2 and 11 GPa. It should be emphasized that yield stress and work hardening coefficient increase with increasing test temperature between room temperature and about 650 K in most alloys. This strength anomaly is not related to SIMT but to precipitation hardening and/or anomalous dislocation motion, probably in a similar manner to B2-type CoTi.

The SU($\nu$) generalized Haldane-Shastry spin chain with $1/r^2$ interaction is studied with twisted boundary conditions. The exact wavefunctions of Jastrow type are obtained for every rational value of the twist angle in unit of $2\pi$. The spectral flow of the ground state is then discussed as a function of the twist angle. By resorting to the motif picture in the Bethe ansatz method, we show that the period of the spectral flow is $\nu$, which is determined by the statistical interaction in exclusion statistics.

The heart pumps blood throughout the body efficiently owing to the heart valves operation. The sinus of Valsalva, which is located on the beginning of aorta, is considered to affect the aortic valve movements. When blood ejects from the heart, vortices are observed within the sinus of Valsalva. This vortical motion has the advantage of preventing the valve leaflet from bulging outward to contact the walls of the sinuses. Moreover, since the sinus of Valsalva lies at the beginning of coronary arteries, vortices within the sinus could affect the flow rate into the coronary arteries. It is therefore important to investigate the vortices within the sinus of Valsalva quantitatively to clarify the mechanism of aortic valve movements. In this study, we apply the virtual flux method (VFM), which is a tool to describe stationary or moving body shapes, to the 2D aortic valves and reproduce the blood flow fields with high Reynolds number around the aortic valves by regularized lattice Boltzmann method with LES model, and estimate the WSS distribution on the valve and sinus wall to consider the atherosclerosis generation. As a result, we found that the WSS on the LV-facing surface is larger than that on the aortic-facing surface, and the WSS on the distal end wall of the sinus of Valsalva is higher due to vortices generation. The vortices’ distribution in time and space is important to consider both in the mechanism of aortic valve movements and the generation of cardiovascular disease such as aortic stenosis.

Publish/Subscribe mechanism is one of key technologies for handling real-time data stream in decentralized environments. While recent studies have showed that publish/subscribe systems should support not only data filtering but also in-network data processing, scalability issue is addressed due to data concentrations on specific nodes. To solve the scalability issue, we propose a Publish/Subscribe system consisting of two-tier overlay network: one overlay network is designed as a geographic overlay network, which is used to maintain fundamental information, on the other hand, data transfer networks are constructed to perform in-network data processing and dynamic load balancing. By using these two networks, we could implement geographic based dynamic subscription reallocation mechanism. This mechanism enables to achieve scalability and avoid data/load concentrations on large-scale Publish/Subscribe systems. We present an evaluation of the our approach through simulation. We compare our approach to another DHT based Publish/Subscribe system, focusing on data transfer during subscription. Our results show that our dynamic subscription reallocation approach avoids data concentration to specific node., AINA 2013: 27th International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops, Mar 25-28, 2013, Barcelona, Spain

We study fractional exclusion statistics for quantum systems with SU(2) symmetry (arbitrary spin $S$), by generalizing the thermodynamic equations with squeezed strings proposed by Ha and Haldane. The bare hole distributions as well as the statistical interaction defined by an infinite-dimensional matrix specify the universality class. It is shown that the system is described by the level-$2S$ WZW model and has a close relationship to non-abelian fractional quantum Hall states. As a low-energy effective theory, the sector of {\it massless} Z$_{2S}$ parafermions is extracted, whose statistical interaction is given by a finite-dimensional matrix.

インフォームドコンセントは「誰が決めるか」を最大の争点とし,「患者が決める」ことを結論とした理念である.わが国におけるターミナルケアや真実告知に関する人々の希望と目的は多様である.倫理的に何が正しいかについて普遍的な原則がない現在,インフォームドコンセントそれ自体に関する希望も含め,すべての医療決断の段階で,患者の希望を生かしたターミナルケアが必要である.

Alumina precursors were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of alkoxide-derived alcogels. The crystalline structure of precursor beohmites and their microstructural change during heat treatment were examined and the specific surface area of the alumina precursors after heating was measured. The alumina prepared by hydrothermal treatment at 270 °C retained high specific surface areas at high temperatures; e.g. 35.0, 8.3 and 5.4 m2g−1 at 1200, 1400 and 1500 °C, respectively. The thermal stability of the aluminas depended on the hydrothermal temperatures. For excellent thermal stability, the following factors are necessary: (1) grain growth of beohmite as an alumina precursor, and a grain size of more than 20 nm for the (1 2 0) plane; (2) a crystallite size for the (2 0 0) plane exceeding that for the (0 0 2) plane; (3) anisotropic growth of the beohmite crystal. In the transition alumina region (≤ 1200 °C), the thermal stability of the alumina is caused by raising the α transformation temperature, resulting from decreasing the number of grain boundaries by beohmite growth. In the α-alumina region (> 1200 °C), inhibiting the three-dimensional grain growth achieves thermal stability, resulting from preservation of the anisotropic structure introduced into the beohmite.

The aerosol flow pyrolysis (AFP) method has recently been applied to the research of various materials such as catalyst and superconductor because of the fine powders, narrow particle size distribution and high dispersibility. SOFC electrode powders were also prepared by the aerosol flow pyrolysis method in this study. Using this method, fine powders with smaller than 1 {micro}m in mean particle size and narrow particle size distribution were obtained. The cathode (La(Sr)MnO{sub 3}/YSZ) formed by the AFP-powder showed excellent properties in cell performance. In a single cell test using these electrodes, 0.3W/cm{sup 2} power density was measured in an electrolyte of 1 mm thickness. In the anode (Ni/YSZ), the desirable morphology, one Ni grain was surrounded with YSZ (8mol% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} stabilized ZrO{sub 2}) grains, for long term stability and high efficiency was obtained.

二重房室結節伝導路を有する難治性房室回帰性頻拍 (AVRT) と心房粗動を有する1症例およびDDDペースメーカー植え込み後の薬剤抵抗性AVRTの1症例に対して完全房室ブロックの作成を目的として高周波力テーテルアブレーションによる房室結節の焼灼を試みた.fast pathwayの焼灼によりヒス束電位図上のAH間隔は約2倍に延長したがAVRTを予防できず, またそのレートもアブレーション施行前と同じであった.そこで後者ではslow pathwayに対するアブレーションを追加したところ一過性に完全房室ブロックとなり, 慢性期には1: 1伝導に戻ったがPQ間隔はfast pathway焼灼後よりさらに延長し, 無投薬下でAVRTの再発はみられない.

The instruments for the HEP (High Energy Particle) experiments of the GEOTAIL mission, launched in July 1992, consist of 5 spectrometers (LD, BD, MI-1, MI-2 and HI). The LD (Low energy particle Detector) and the BD (Burst Detector) are mainly used to measure electrons, protons, helium and oxygen ions which reflect plasma dynamics in the magnetotail region. On the other hand, MI-1, MI-2 (Medium energy Isotope telescope-1, -2) and HI (High energy Isotope telescope) are used to measure the isotope abundance of solar flare particles and cosmic ray particles which reflect physical conditions of interplanetary space and origin of these particles

Cordierite gel powders doped with up to 3 mol % B2O3 were prepared by the hydrolysis of an alkoxide complex. The effects of B2O3-doping on phase transformation were investigated for the purpose of preventing micro-cracking due to μ-α cordierite transformation. B2O3-doping retarded the crystallization from amorphous to μ-cordierite, and accelerated the crystallization of α-cordierite. High doping concentrations (e.g. 1.5 mol %) appeared to promote the direct formation of α-cordierite from the amorphous state. The development of microcracks due to the μ-α cordierite transformation was prevented by the modified crystallization characteristics. The flexural strengths of the sintered bodies reached 190 MPa. B2O3-doping also lowered the temperatures of densification and crystallization of α-cordierite to 850 and 950 °C, respectively. At the sintering temperatures of 1100 °C or above, however, glassy phase oozed out on to the surfaces and internal pores were formed in the sintered bodies, resulting in decreased flexural strength.

InP is becoming an indispensable material not only for long wavelength opto-electronic devices but also for high frequency devices. Promoted by this requirement, InP bulk crystal technology has been rapidly developed. In the present paper, this development is reviewed in the areas of purification, reduction of dislocation density, semi-insulating crystal growth technology and wafer polishing. The possibility of undoped semi-insulating InP, a highlight topic of recent developments, is also discussed on the basis of experiments.

New GaAs quantum dot structures, called tetrahedral quantum dots (TQDs) are proposed to make a zero-dimensional electron-hole system. The TQDs are surrounded by crystallographic facets fabricated using selective area MOCVD growth on (111) B GaAs substrates. The calculated energy sublevel structures of 0-dimensional electrons in GaAs TQD show large quantum size effects, because electrons are confined three-dimensionally. GaAs and AlGaAs tetrahedral facet structures on (111) B GaAs substrates partially etched into a triangular shape were grown using MOCVD. Tetrahedral growth with (110) facets occurs in the triangular areas. The cathodoluminescence intensity map for GaAs tetrahedrons buried in AlGaAs shows the tetrahedral dot array.

Objectives: To examine the cost-effectiveness of a community-based screening programme for chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) in Japan. Methods: Using a computer model of a Markov process, the cost-effectiveness of an annual ECG screening programme and an annual pulse palpation screening programme for arrhythmia were compared with no screening. A hypothetical Japanese population of 65 year old individuals was followed until 85 years of age. We assumed that individuals with irregular beats on palpation were worked up by ECG and that ECG was perfect in detecting AF, whereas palpation was not. It was also assumed that patients diagnosed with AF received anticoagulant therapy, that some AF patients developed ischaemic stroke, and that some on anticoagulant therapy developed intracranial or gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Costs, efficacy of anticoagulation, utility of health status, and clinical variables were estimated from the literature. Outcomes were expressed as US dollars per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Results: Both annual ECG screening programme and annual palpation screening programme were more costly and at the same time more effective compared with no screening, with their incremental cost-effectiveness ratios approximately US$8000 per QALY in males and US$10,000 per QALY in females. Sensitivity analyses showed high sensitivity of cost-effectiveness ratios to the incidence of ischaemic stroke and anticoagulants prescription rate. Two annual screening programmes were similar in effectiveness and costs. Conclusion: To prevent ischaemic stroke associated with AF, both annual ECG screening and annual palpation screening were favourable in the context of conventional criteria for cost-effectiveness.

Background: Sulfhydryl (SH) compounds are essential in maintaining mucosal integrity in the gastrointestinal tract. A decrease in colonic mucosal SH compounds affects the redox status of the mucosa, resulting in vulnerability to further attacks. Therefore, there is a strong need for in vivo evaluation of SH compounds in the colonic mucosa. Aims: The aim of the current study was to establish a method of evaluating levels of SH compounds in the colonic mucosa of live animals before and after induction of colitis. Methods: Murine experimental colitis was induced by instillation of trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) dissolved in 50% ethanol into the colon via the anus. For evaluation of mucosal SH compounds in the colon, 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl (carbamoyl-PROXYL), a stable nitroxide radical, was instilled into the colonic lumen of live mice and the spin clearance rate was measured by L-band electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Results: Morphological study showed that mucosal damage was severe one or two days after TNBS instillation. The colonic mucosa started to regenerate at four days, and looked normal at seven days, after induction of colitis. The spin clearance rate of carbamoyl-PROXYL decreased significantly at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 days after induction of colitis compared with mice before TNBS instillation. Surprisingly, although the colonic mucosa looked normal seven days after TNBS administration, the spin clearance rate still remained significantly slow. The spin clearance rate returned to normal 14 days after induction of colitis. The change in in vivo spin clearance rate was consistent with the time dependent change in mucosal reduced glutathione, a major component of SH compounds. Conclusion: The spin clearance rate obtained by L-band ESR spectroscopy in combination with carbamoyl-PROXYL can give an estimate of the level of colonic mucosal SH compounds in live animals and is useful for evaluating the mucosal defence system against oxidative stress.

Falconensones A and B are new type of yellow pigment isolated from the mycelial extract of ascomycetous fungi, Emericella falconensis. To date, these falconensones and their derivatives, falconensone A p-bromophenylhydrazone and falconensone A dioxime are known to exhibit biological activities, which include growth inhibition and both induction of differentiation and apoptosis of HL60 human leukemia cells. The synthetic derivatives have been shown to be more potent than natural falconensone A and B in eliciting these activities. Herein, we investigate whether falconensones inhibit growth of other cancer cell lines in vitro, and we evaluate their ability to modify survival in C57 BL/6J mice using M5076 murine reticulosarcoma in vivo, which is established as the metastasis model. Falconensone A, falconensone A p-bromophenylhydrazone, and falconensone A dioxime inhibit growth of human myeloid leukemia cell lines, HL60 and HL60R, human hepatoma cell line HepG2, human prostate cancer cell line DU-145, and human breast cancer cell line MCF-7/Adr(R), whereas falconensone B, the 4'-nor-methyl derivative of falconensone A, shows extremely low or no activity. In contrast, all of the falconensones are active in growth inhibition of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Survival time of M5076-implanted mice was prolonged by treatment with falconensones, particularly falconensone A dioxime. These results indicate that falconensone A and its derivatives exhibit anticancer efficacy in a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines. These agents may have great potential for clinical use in the treatment of various cancers.