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Background A heterogeneous radiological response is frequently observed in cancer patients and could reflect tumor heterogeneity. We investigated the prognostic impact of heterogeneous radiological responses in patients with advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received platinum‐based chemotherapy. Methods The treatment response according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria was evaluated in 212 patients with advanced NSCLC who received platinum‐based chemotherapy. Patients with partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) were classified into “PR homo,” “PR hetero,” “SD homo,” and “SD hetero” by the presence of a heterogeneous radiological response, and survival was compared between groups. We also compared survival based on the presence of metabolic responses in lesions with heterogeneous radiological responses. Results Fifty‐two patients (24.5%) were classified as PR, 112 patients (52.8%) as SD, and 48 patients (22.7%) as progressive disease (PD). There was no significant difference in progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the PR homo and PR hetero groups. The SD homo group had a longer PFS and OS than the SD hetero group. In the SD hetero group, patients with increased maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in lesions with heterogeneous radiological responses had a shorter PFS than those with a stable SUVmax. Conclusions The presence of lesions with radiological heterogeneity was associated with disease progression and poor prognosis in the SD group. Patients with heterogeneous radiological responses require careful monitoring., Patients with heterogeneous radiological responses in the SD group had a shorter PFS and OS. In particular, patients with increased SUVmax in lesions with heterogeneous radiological responses had a shorter PFS than patients with a stable SUVmax. The presence of lesions with radiological heterogeneity was associated with disease progression and poor prognosis in the SD group.

In a laser-plasma electron acceleration, the quality of electron beams is sensitive to the parameters of a laser and a plasma density. With a given laser, higher plasma density may be good for higher charge, while lower density is better for longer acceleration channel, generating higher peak energy at the expense of charge. The dependence of electron beam parameters on the plasma density is, therefore, crucial to find the operating condition for applications. After the target chamber is evacuated, the plasma density and the focal position of the laser beam in the plasma channel can be remotely controlled during the experiments. The plasma density can be obtained by extracting the phase information from captured interferogram, followed by numerically computing the integral derived using Abel inversion. We suggested the simple idea of FFT Filtering and Reconstructing (FR), to be processed prior to a typical computing process, which is the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) for phase shift and the Fourier–Hankel transform (FH) for the integral of Abel inversion here. The FFT filtering can suppress the errors due to the noise, while the reconstructing can select the different data points between the fringes to reduce the systematic error and improve the visibility in interferograms. We confirm the FR-CWT-FH method can provide the average plasma density in uniform region and the longitudinal channel structure with high accuracy, letting the in-situ monitoring possible. The fringe spacing in reconstruction and the wavelet frequency in CWT can be selected differently depending on the shape of plasma density, such as uniform or rising (or falling), and its length of each region to obtain the detailed structure of plasmas.

Altered energy metabolism has been implicated both in aging and the pathogenesis of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). However, it is unclear which anomalies are acquired phenotypes and which are inherent and predispose to disease. We report that neural progenitor cells and astrocytes differentiated from LOAD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells exhibit multiple inter-related bioenergetic alterations including: changes in energy production by mitochondrial respiration versus glycolysis, as a consequence of alterations in bioenergetic substrate processing and transfer of reducing agents, reduced levels of NAD/NADH, diminished glucose uptake and response rates to insulin (INS)/IGF-1 signaling, decreased INS receptor and glucose transporter 1 densities, and changes in the metabolic transcriptome. Our data confirm that LOAD is a “multi-hit” disorder and provide evidence for innate inefficient cellular energy management in LOAD that likely predisposes to neurodegenerative disease with age. These processes may guide the development and testing of diagnostic procedures or therapeutic agents.

The redox co-factor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) declines with age, and NAD deficits are specifically associated with dysfunctional energy metabolism in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Nicotinamide riboside (NR), a dietary NAD precursor, has been suggested to ameliorate the aging process or neurodegeneration. We assessed whether NR with or without caffeine, which increases nicotinamide mononucleotide transferase subtype 2 (NMNAT2), an essential enzyme in NAD production, modulates bioenergetic functions in LOAD. In LOAD patients-and young or old control individuals-derived dermal fibroblasts as well as in induced pluripotent stem cell-differentiated neural progenitors and astrocytes, NR and caffeine cell type-specifically increased the NAD pool, transiently enhanced mitochondrial respiration or glycolysis and altered the expression of genes in the NAD synthesis or consumption pathways. However, continued treatment led to reversed bioenergetic effects. Importantly, NR and caffeine did not alter the characteristics of a previously documented inherent LOAD-associated bioenergetic phenotype. Thus, although NR and caffeine can partially restore diminished NAD availability, increasing NAD alone may not be sufficient to boost or restore energy metabolism in brain aging or alter aberrant energy management in LOAD. Nicotinamide riboside might still be of value in combination with other agents in preventive or therapeutic intervention strategies to address the aging process or age-associated dementia.

The major sites of metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are bones, the brain, adrenal glands, the liver, the contralateral lung, and distant lymph nodes. Solitary metastasis in an uncommon site is very rare; therefore, it has not often been reported. Identifying whether a solitary lesion is a metastatic lesion is important because it decisively influences the stage and treatment decisions. We report a series of cases of NSCLC diagnosis with uncommon solitary metastasis. (1) A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with poorly differentiated NSCLC after a bronchoscopic biopsy of a tumor in the bronchus of the right middle lobe. A hypermetabolic lesion was observed in the tail of the pancreas using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and metastasis of NSCLC was confirmed using endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). (2) A 77-year-old man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma after a bronchoscopic biopsy of a tumor in the bronchus of the left upper lobe. A hypermetabolic lesion was observed in the bilateral lobes of the thyroid gland using PET/CT, and metastasis of the squamous cell carcinoma was confirmed by FNA and cytology. (3) A 79-year-old woman was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma by brushing cytology performed on the apicoposterior segmental bronchus of the left upper lobe. Hypermetabolic lesions were observed using PET/CT in the subcutaneous layer of the right back and the left breast, and metastases of adenocarcinoma were confirmed by biopsies in each lesion. These three patients were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy for stage IV lung cancer. With this case series, we recommend that, when a solitary lesion is observed in NSCLC patients, a tissue biopsy should be performed, even if the lesion is located in an organ where lung cancer metastasis is uncommon.

The cumulative results indicate that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio of peripheral blood (pbNLR) is a useful prognostic factor in patients with various cancers. In contrast to peripheral blood, the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid is in direct contact with the lung lesion. However, no study has reported on the clinical utility of the NLR of BAL fluid (bNLR) for patients with lung cancer. To investigate the clinical utility of the bNLR as a prognostic factor in patients with lung cancer, we conducted a retrospective review of the prospectively collected data. A total of 45 patients were classified into high bNLR (n = 29) and low bNLR (n = 16) groups. A high pbNLR and high bNLR were associated with a shorter overall survival (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). A multivariable analysis confirmed that ECOG PS (p = 0.023), M stage (p = 0.035), pbNLR (p = 0.008), and bNLR (p = 0.0160) were independent predictors of overall survival. Similar to the pbNLR, a high bNLR value was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. Although further studies are required to apply our results clinically, this is the first study to show the clinical value of the bNLR in patients with lung cancer.

Background Defects of the nasal ala and tip have a complex three-dimensional structure that makes them challenging to reconstruct. Many reconstructive options have been described for nasal ala and tip defects, ranging from primary closure to local flaps and skin grafts. However, it is difficult to determine which method will yield the best cosmetic results in each individual case. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine which surgical procedures for reconstructing defects of the nasal ala and tip have better cosmetic results. Methods From 2008 to 2018, 111 patients underwent surgery to reconstruct skin defects after resection of skin cancer in the nasal ala or tip. Their charts were reviewed to obtain data on age, sex, surgical location, size of the defect, surgical method, and cosmetic results using a visual analog scale (VAS). Results For nasal ala reconstruction, the most commonly used surgical technique was the nasolabial flap (n= 42). This method also had the highest VAS score (7/10). The most commonly selected surgical method for nasal tip reconstruction was the bilobed flap (n= 13), and bilobed flaps and primary closure had the highest VAS score (7/10). Conclusion Nasolabial flaps showed excellent cosmetic results for the reconstruction of nasal ala defects, while primary closure and bilobed flaps yielded excellent cosmetic results for the reconstruction of nasal tip defects.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been utilized to monitor the clinical course of patients of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who receive therapies targeting druggable mutations. However, despite providing valuable information on how NSCLC would naturally progress, the clinical utility of ctDNA for clinical-course monitoring and prediction of treatment-naïve NSCLC patients without druggable mutations remain unknown. We longitudinally followed a total of 12 treatment-naïve NSCLC patients, who did not harbor EGFR and ALK mutations, by collecting clinical information, radiological data, and plasma samples. Changes in ctDNA levels and tumor burden (TB) were compared with each other. New metastasis development, volume doubling time (VDT), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed regarding ctDNA detection at diagnosis. ctDNA was detected in the plasma of seven (58.3%) patients. Changes in ctDNA levels correlated with those in TB in a substantial fraction (57.1%) of patients and was also associated with brain metastasis, tumor necrosis, or pneumonia in other patients. All patients with ctDNA detection developed new metastasis during follow-ups in the organs that had been devoid of metastasis at diagnosis. The patients without ctDNA detection did not develop new metastasis (median duration of follow-ups: 9.8 months). In addition, patients with ctDNA detection had shorter VDT (p = 0.039) and worse OS (p = 0.019) than those without ctDNA detection. The natural course of NSCLC progression can be monitored by measuring ctDNA levels. Detection of ctDNA at diagnosis can predict development of new metastasis, rapid tumor growth and poor survival of NSCLC patients.

BACKGROUND Closed reduction is the standard treatment for nasal bone fractures, which are the most common type of facial bone fractures. We investigated the effect of closed reduction on quality of life. METHODS The 15-dimensional health-related quality of life survey was administered to 120 patients who underwent closed reduction under general anesthesia for nasal bone fractures from February 2018 to December 2019, on both the day after surgery and 3 months after surgery. Three months postoperatively, the presence or absence of five nasal symptoms (nose obstruction, snoring, pain, nasal secretions, and aesthetic dissatisfaction) was also evaluated. RESULTS The quality of life items that showed significant changes between immediately after surgery and 3 months postoperatively were breathing, sleeping, speech, excretion, and discomfort. Low scores were found at 3 months for breathing, sleeping, and distress. There were 31 patients (25.83%) with nose obstruction, 25 (20.83%) with snoring, 12 (10.00%), with pain, 11 (9.17%) with nasal secretions, and 29 (24.17%) with aesthetic dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION Closed reduction affected patients' quality of life, although most aspects improved significantly after 3 months. However, it was not possible to rule out deterioration of quality of life due to complications and dissatisfaction after surgery.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the complications of flap surgery in non-smokers and smokers and to determine how the incidence of complications was affected by the abstinence period from smoking before and after flap surgery. Methods: In PubMed and Scopus, terms “smoking” and “flap survival” were used, which resulted in 113 papers and 65 papers, respectively. After excluding 6 duplicate titles, 172 titles were reviewed. Among them, 45 abstracts were excluded, 20 full papers were reviewed, and finally 15 papers were analyzed. Results: Post-operative complications such as flap necrosis ( P < .001), hematoma ( P < .001), and fat necrosis ( P = .003) occurred significantly more frequently in smokers than in non-smokers. The flap loss rate was significantly higher in smokers who were abstinent for 24 hours post-operatively than in non-smokers (n = 1464, odds ratio [OR] = 4.885, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.071-11.524, P < .001). The flap loss rate was significantly lower in smokers who were abstinent for 1 week post-operatively than in those who were abstinent for 24 hours post-operatively (n = 131, OR = 0.252, 95% CI = 0.074-0.851, P = .027). No significant difference in flap loss was found between non-smokers and smokers who were abstinent for 1 week preoperatively (n = 1519, OR = 1.229, 95% CI = 0.482-3.134, P = .666) or for 4 weeks preoperatively (n = 1576, OR = 1.902, 95% CI = 0.383-2.119, P = .812). Conclusion: Since smoking decreases the alveolar oxygen pressure and subcutaneous wound tissue oxygen, and nicotine causes vasoconstriction, smokers are more likely to experience flap loss, hematoma, or fat necrosis than non-smokers. Preoperative and post-operative abstinence period of at least 1 week is necessary for smokers who undergo flap operations.

The availability of electronic word-of-mouth, online consumer reviews, is increasing rapidly. Users frequently look for important aspects of a product or service in the reviews. They are typically interested in sentiment-oriented ratable aspects (i.e., semantic aspects). However, extracting semantic aspects across domains is challenging. We propose a domain-independent topic sentiment model called Joint Multi-grain Topic Sentiment (JMTS) to extract semantic aspects. JMTS effectively extracts quality semantic aspects automatically, thereby eliminating the requirement for manual probing. We conduct both qualitative and quantitative comparisons to evaluate JMTS. The experimental results confirm that JMTS generates semantic aspects with correlated top words and outperforms state-of-the-art models in several performance metrics.

Background Skin defects of head and neck need reconstruction using various local flaps. In some cases, surgeons should consider skin graft for large skin defect. It is important to heal skin graft and donor sites. The authors investigated wound healing mechanisms at the donor sites with split-thick-ness skin graft (STSG). In this study, the authors compared two types of immediate regraft including sheets and islands for the donor site after facial skin graft using remnant skin. Methods The author reviewed 10 patients who underwent STSG, from March 2015 to May 2017, for skin defects in the craniofacial area. The donor site was immediately covered with the two types using remnant skin after harvesting skin onto the recipient site. Depending on the size of the remnant skin, we conducted regraft with the single sheet (n= 5) and island types (n= 5). Results On postoperative day 1 and 3 months, the scar formation was evaluated using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) and Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). Total POSAS and VSS scores for the island type were lower than in single sheet group after 3 months postoperatively. There was significant difference in specific categories of POSAS and VSS. Conclusion This study showed a reduction in scar formation following immediate regrafting of the remnant skin at the donor site after STSG surgery. Particularly, the island type is useful for clinical application to facilitate healing of donor sites with STSG.

A laser-induced intense Ka hard X-ray source was developed by using a novel copper film target and a 27-TW femtosecond laser system. A specially designed pinhole camera was employed to measure the X-ray photon flux, X-ray energy spectrum, and X-ray source image. By adapting a single photon counting method, we estimated the photon number in the full width at half maximum (FWHM) spectral region to be 1.74 × 109 photons/sr for 8.05-keV Cu Ka X-rays. The shape of the X-ray source was matched well with that of the focused laser beam on the target. By provision of a lengthy copper film of 50 m with a thickness of 50 µm, the novel copper film target is capable of long time operation of more than 27 hours at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The hard X-ray source is suitable for applications in single-shot X-ray contrast imaging or in ultrafast pump-probe analyses of material structures.

Purpose: Gigantomastia is associated with several physical symptoms. Reduction mammaplasty can resolve discomfort, but an objective and quantitative analysis of the symptomatic relief associated with reduction mammaplasty is limited. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of reduction mammaplasty, as measured by the symptomatic relief using objective indicators. Methods: Between January and May 2009, patients who visited our clinic for gigantomastia were retrospectively evaluated, for neck, shoulder, and back pain. Fifteen subjects were enrolled in this study; they all underwent treatment by reduction mammaplasty, and presented neck and shoulder pain. The surface body temperature was measured at the cervical and thoracic areas, by infrared thermography (Iris-5000; Medicore, Seongnam, Korea). Infrared thermography was re-assessed in nine of 15 cases who returned for follow-up examinations 3 to 4 months after surgery. Results: The mean age of the group was 40.6±10.3 years; the mean body mass index was 24.6±2.1 kg/m. The average weight of the removed breast tissue after surgery was 616±241.8 g on the right, and 603±259.6 g on the left. On pre-, and post-operative infrared thermography, the average absolute value of the thoracic and cervical surface temperatures changed siginificantly (p

To enhance ocular drug bioavailability, a rapidly dissolving dry tablet containing alginate and drug-loaded poly(lactic-&lt, i&gt, co&lt, /i&gt, glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles was proposed. For hygienic and easy administration of an accurate drug-dose with this tablet, the use of a preocular applicator was suggested. Herein, a dry tablet was prepared by embedding dexamethasone-loaded PLGA nanoparticles in alginate, which was deposited on the tip of the applicator. The nanoparticles were loaded with 85.45 &mu, g/mg drug and exhibited sustained drug release for 10 h. To evaluate in vivo efficacy, dexamethasone concentration in the aqueous humor was measured after topical administration of the dry tablet, with the applicator, to rabbit eyes and was compared to that achieved with Maxidex&lt, sup&gt, &reg, &lt, /sup&gt, a commercially-available dexamethasone eye drops. When applied with the preocular applicator, the dry tablet containing alginate could be fully detached and delivered to the eye surface. In fact, it showed up to 2 h of nanoparticle retention on the preocular surface due to tear viscosity enhancement, causing an estimated 2.6-fold increase in ocular drug bioavailability compared to Maxidex&lt, Therefore, the preocular applicator combined with a dry alginate tablet containing PLGA nanoparticles can be a promising system for aseptically delivering an accurate dose of ophthalmic drug with enhanced bioavailability.

Strong enhancement in proton energy was investigated from a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation where an ultraintense laser pulse irradiates a 2-μm thick metal foil coated with a low density, 1-μm thick PMMA (polymethylmathacrylate - C5H8O2) on the rear surface. The reduction of PMMA density effectively increases resistivity of hot electrons, which results in the generation of a strong electrostatic field at the metal-PMMA interface in addition to the sheath electrostatic field at the PMMA-vacuum boundary. The interaction of each proton beam accelerated by the two electrostatic fields leads to the enhancement of energy for the protons originated from the PMMA-vacuum side. With a laser intensity of 1×1020 W/cm2, maximum proton energy of 80 MeV was investigated with a modulation in energy spectrum, which is 2.2 times higher than those from a metal-contamination layer target or a metal-high density PMMA target. It is also interesting that there is an energy peak around 18 MeV, which is caused by an interaction with heavier ions.

As a key technology of U-health, RFID can be applied to the hospitals in a variety of cases such as patient tracking, medical instrument management, and so on. However, adoption of RFID in healthcare does not reach expectations because of huge cost. Exact estimation of cost and effectiveness will boost adoption of RFID in healthcare. This study proposes a novel simulation technique to evaluate cost and effectiveness of RFID in hospital environment. To do this, this study proposes a technique for modeling patients' movements in a hospital. Based on the model, this study provides how to obtain tag event dataset by means of simulating identifications of RFID tags that are attached to patients.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) may have a key role in the initiation and maintenance of allergic inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis. The present study revealed that UVB radiation exposure could induce TSLP expression in human keratinocytes and a human skin equivalent model. In addition, we investigated the regulatory mechanism of UVB-induced TSLP expression in keratinocytes. TSLP expression was upregulated by transfection with pcDNA3-hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α (P402A and P564A), which stably expresses HIF-1α protein. UVB-induced TSLP induction in keratinocytes was suppressed in the treatment of mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors or small interfering RNAs against HIF-1α. The results of chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicate the direct involvement of HIF-1α in UVB-mediated TSLP induction. Taken together, these findings indicate that UVB exposure may increase TSLP expression through a HIF-1α-dependent mechanism via the c-JUN N-terminal kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways in human keratinocytes. Our data showed that UVB-induced TSLP might increase secretion of the T-helper type 2-attracting chemokine (c-c motif) ligand 17 by human dendritic cells. The present study suggests an important role of HIF-1α in UVB-mediated immune response in keratinocytes.

Alloy 690 has been selected as a steam generator tubing material for SMART owing to a near immunity to primary water stress corrosion cracking. The steam generators of SMART are faced with a neutron flux due to the integrated arrangement inside a reactor vessel, and thus it is important to know the irradiation effects of the thermal conductivity of Alloy 690. Alloy 690 was irradiated at HANARO to fluences of (0.7−28) × 1019n/cm2 (E>0.1MeV) at 250°C, and its thermal conductivity was measured using the laser-flash equipment in the IMEF. The thermal conductivity of Alloy 690 was dependent on temperature, and it was a good fit to the Smith-Palmer equation, which modified the Wiedemann-Franz law. The irradiation at 250°C did not degrade the thermal conductivity of Alloy 690, and even showed a small increase (1%) at fluences of (0.7∼28) × 1019n/cm2 (E>0.1MeV).

Aim To examine whether a hospitalist-directed interdisciplinary (ITD) team in an internal medicine residency program enhances the hospital and clinical outcomes for seniors with acute medical illness. Methods Seniors admitted to a USA teaching hospital medical floor-teaching services were allocated to the ITD (n = 379) and usual care teams (n = 383). Compared with the usual care team, the ITD team physicians carried out daily “geriatric” assessment and management, and led ITD team meetings. Results The mean probability of functional decline on hospital discharge in the ITD team (25%; 95% CI 19–30%) was significantly lower than that in the usual care team (36%; 95% CI 30–43%; OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.10–0.92; P

Aim: To examine whether rehabilitation therapy type would be associated with transitions to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) in community-living seniors with acute medical illnesses. Methods: Using administrative and clinical data, multivariate regression analysis examined the relationship between the extent of rehabilitation therapy and transitions to SNF in all participants, as well as participants by physical function at admission. Results: In all participants (n = 929), the intensified rehabilitation therapy was associated with a lower probability of transitions to SNF (14% vs 21%; odds ratio [OR] 0.59; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.22–0.96; P = 0.02). In participants with mild physical limitations (n = 270), less frequent transitions to SNF occurred when patients received intensified rehabilitation therapy [16% vs 23%; OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.17–0.94; P = 0.01]. In participants with moderate to severe physical limitations (n = 265), the decreased frequency of transitions to SNF associated with rehabilitation therapy became more pronounced (18% vs 28%; OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.07–0.89; P = 0.004). By contrast, in participants without physical limitation (n = 394), the number of transitions to SNF did not change significantly when they received intensified rehabilitation therapy (P = 0.53). Conclusions: We found a significant relationship between intensified rehabilitation therapy and the decrease of transitions to SNF in community-living seniors with acute medical illness. The magnitude of this relationship increased in participants with more physical limitations, but not in participants without physical limitations at admission. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 547–554.

Polymer-modified cement is the composite material made by partially replacing and strengthening the cement hydrate binders of conventional mortar with polymeric modifiers such as polymer latexes and redispersible polymeric modifiers. It is known that the addition of polymer to cement mortar leads to improved quality, which would be expected to have a high chemical resistance.Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the improved chemical resistance, such as low permeability and low ion diffusivity, of the polymermodified cement as a solidification agent for the radwaste. First, polymer-modified cement specimens by latex modification were prepared according to the polymer content from 0 % to 30 % to select the optimized polymer content. At those specimens, the water-to-cement (W/C) ratio was maintained to 33 % and 50 % respectively. After the much curing time, the structural integrity of specimens was evaluated through the compressive strength test and the porosity evaluation by the water immersion method. From the results, 10 % of the polymer content at 33 % of the W/C ratio was shown to have the most improved quality. Finally, the leaching test referredfrom ANS 16.1 for the specimens having the most improved quality was conducted. Dedicated specimens for the leaching test were then mixed with radioisotopes of Co-60 and Cs-137 at the specimen preparation.

Tensile and low cycle fatigue tests were conducted at RT-600 °C and cyclic softening behavior during low cycle fatigue was evaluated with temperature, strain range, heat treatment, aging, and welding. Yield stress decreased with temperature and was the highest for two step heat treatment and almost the same with welding. Elongation decreased to 400 °C, was minimum at 400 °C, and increased above 400 °C. Elongation was the lowest for91B of two step heat treatment. Cyclic softening was not much different with temperature to 500 °C but was high at 600 °C. Cyclic softening was almost the same with strain range at RT but increased with strain range at 300-600 °C. Cyclic softening decreased with welding and was not much different with aging. Amount of cyclic softening increased with temperature, was the lowest for weldment, and increased with yield stress. The decrease of dislocation density by cell structure formation and the increase of lath widthwas important for cyclic softening to 500 °C and recovery was important for cyclic softening at 600 °C.

Low-cycle fatigue tests with continuous cycling and creep–fatigue tests with 10 min hold times at tensile maximum strain were conducted at 600 °C in air for Type 316L and Type 316LN stainless steels containing nitrogen contents of 0.04% and 0.10%. The creep–fatigue life was less than the fatigue life for both alloys. The fatigue and creep–fatigue life and saturation stress were increased with the addition of nitrogen. The fracture mode was transgranular for fatigue and intergranular for creep-fatigue regardless of the nitrogen content. The dislocation structure was cellular for Type 316L and planar for Type 316LN after fatigue and creep-fatigue tests. Carbides were precipitated at grain boundaries after creep-fatigue tests and nitrogen decreased the precipitation. Creep–fatigue life was well predicted by a model based on cavity nucleation and growth at grain boundaries. The increase of creep–fatigue life with the addition of nitrogen was due to the decrease of precipitation and stress relaxation by the change in dislocation structure.

Elevated T-helper type 2 cytokines in atopic skin, such as IL-4 and IL-13, were thought to be responsible for an impaired expression of antimicrobial proteins, which may contribute to the increased susceptibility to skin infections in patients with atopic dermatitis. In this study, the relationship between thymic stromal lymphopoietin and antimicrobial proteins and the involved molecular pathway was defined in normal human epidermal keratinocytes and human skin equivalent model. Stimulation of normal human epidermal keratinocytes with thymic stromal lymphopoietin decreased both mRNA and levels of S100A7 and human β-defensin 2 in a dose-dependent manner, and the regulation was JAK2/STAT3-dependent. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin decreased the antimicrobial protein expression, even in the presence of IL-17, which is their strong inducer. STAT3 directly regulated the S100A7 and human β-defensin 2 promoters in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Immunohistochemically, lesional atopic skin stained more intensely with phospho-STAT3 compared with healthy control. Our results show that up-regulated thymic stromal lymphopoietin may contribute to the deficiency of antimicrobial proteins in atopic dermatitis, including S100A7 and human β-defensin 2, by a JAK2/STAT3-dependent mechanism and that STAT3/Sin3a might directly control the transcriptional activity of the antimicrobial protein promoters in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Taken together, a key role of the JAK2/STAT3/Sin3a signaling pathway in thymic stromal lymphopoietin-mediated immune response in normal human epidermal keratinocytes might give us clues to understanding the pathological signal transductions in atopic dermatitis.

Radioactive organic wastes containing acetone, alcohol, and particularly tributyl phosphate (TBP)/dodecane contaminated with uranium are extracted from the PUREX process and the decontamination of related equipment. An evaporation method that utilizes existing DU oxidation apparatuses and ventilation systems and a typical muffle furnace installed with an aspirating system are adopted. A separation method using phosphoric acid especially for the TBP/dodecane waste is also studied and evaluated. The results show that a simple evaporation process is utilizable for wastes containing acetone or alcohol with a lower boiling point. A modified muffle furnace is more appropriate to dispose directly of organic wastes having a higher boiling point, such as TBP/dodecane, without generating a condensed waste solution. It is recommended that, when the uranium concentration of TBP/dodecane waste is much higher than stipulated levels, separation technology should be applied to remove uranium from the mixture. Each type of solvent after separation can then be considered disposable below the regulatory limit in the modified furnace discussed in this study.

Lithium titanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) pebbles are developed as a ceramic breeder material of ITER test blanket module (TBM) for DEMO reactor. Fine and single crystalline Li 2 TiO 3 powders were prepared by a solution combustion synthesis process and a new dry-rolling granulation process was investigated. The as-synthesized powders were compacted without a binder and sintered to a high density at a relatively low temperature (

SiC whiskers were introduced into the SiC fiber preform by the CVI method with and without an Fe catalyst. The whisker growing process resulted in a composite with a higher density than the conventional-CVI composite when assuming similar infiltration times. Multiple cycles of the whisker growing and the matrix infiltration steps were required to effectively reduce the size of the interbundle voids, due to the limited length of the whiskers grown without the catalyst. Although the adoption of the metallic catalyst increased the length and the homogeneity of the whiskers, the early clogging of the composite surface restricted the effective infiltration of the center region of the composite. A gradient of the whisker concentration in the thickness direction was suggested for a uniform densification.

Tensile deformation and post-necking behaviour were investigated using the elasto-plastic finite element method. Necking at the specimen centre could be reproduced by applying a radial constraint at the loading points without assuming initial imperfections or plastic instability theory. It was found from the calculated results that for strain hardening materials Hart’s criterion overestimates the necking onset strain a little, probably due to the end effect.

We report a case of an occult synchronous adrenal metastasis of rectal cancer. A left adrenal mass was found by computed tomography (CT) 6 months after low anterior resection for rectal cancer. This lesion was growing during adjuvant systemic chemotherapy. The level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen and that of adrenal hormones were within the normal range. Radical left adrenalectomy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma compatible with rectal cancer. Adrenal metastasis is not rare in autopsy series. The possibility of adrenal metastasis should be considered in the follow-up of rectal cancer patients. Surgery may be the treatment of choice in occult synchronous metastasis of adrenal gland in rectal cancer.

Given two sorted lists A =(a 0 , a 1 a l-1 ) and B = (b 0 , b 1 b m-1 ), we are to merge these two lists into a sorted list C=(c 0 , c 1 c n-1 ), where n=l+m. Since this is a fundamental problem useful to solve many problems such as sorting and graph problems, there have been many efficient parallel algorithms for this problem. But these algorithms cannot be performed efficiently in the postal model since the communication latency λ, which is of prime importance in this model, is not needed to be considered for those algorithms. Hence, in this paper we propose an efficient merge algorithm in this model that runs in 2λ logn/log(λ+1) + λ-1 time by using a new property of the bitonic sequence which is crucial to our algorithm. We also show that our algorithm is near-optimal by proving that the lower bound of this problem in the postal model is fλ(n/2), where λ logn-log2/log([λ]+1) ≤ fλ (n/2) ≤2λ+2λ logn-log2/log([λ]+1).

In this paper, we derive an efficient parallel algorithm to solve the single function coarsest partition problem. This algorithm runs in O(\log2n) time using O(nlogn) operations on the EREW PRAM with O(n) memory cells used. Compared with the previous PRAM algorithms that consume O(n1+) memory cells for some positive constant ${\varepsilon}\>0$, our algorithm consumes less memory cells without increasing the total number of operations.

The dynamic strain ageing (DSA) behaviours of type 316L stainless steels containing different nitrogen contents (0.01–0.15 wt% N) were studied in tension under varying strain rates (1 × 10−2−2 × 10−4s−1) and the test temperatures (R.T.–1023 K). The temperature range for DSA was moved to higher temperature for increasing nitrogen contents. The critical strain, ec for the onset of serration increased with nitrogen content at 773 K and then became almost constant at 873 K. Type A and B serrations were observed at 873 K with the value of the strain required to effect the transition from type A to type B serration increasing for nitrogen contents upto 0.1 wt% and then becoming saturated. The activation energy for DSA was 23.4–26.2 kcal mol−1 (97.8–109.5 kJ mol−1) at the onset and 65.0–76.6 kcal mol−1 (271–320.2 kJ mol−1) at the end of serration. The lower activation energy was related to vacancy diffusion and the higher activation energy was attributed to the diffusion of chromium to dislocations. The activation energy for DSA was slightly increased with nitrogen addition. DSA was retarded by an increase in the nitrogen content since nitrogen reduced the chromium diffusion to dislocations due to a strong interaction between the nitrogen and chromium.

Pressurization tests were run on unirradiated Zircaloy-4 tubing in the pressure range of 400 to 550 MPa and temperature, 330 to 400 ° C. The effects of the mechanical factor on the susceptibility of Zircaloy to iodine-induced stress corrosion cracking (ISCC) were studied in terms of both time-to-failure and failure strain. The time-to-failure was related to thenth power of stress, and the failure strain was a parabolic function of the strain rate in the limited range of 10−7 to 10−4 sec−1. The ISCC susceptibility was determined by the strain rate rather than the stress, and decreased with increasing test temperature. The results suggest that the film rupture step should be involved in the Zircaloy ISCC and that gas adsorption process is an important step in the overall ISCC.

We herein describe a case of cystic lymphangioma in the greater omentum of the remnant stomach, which is thought it to be related with subtotal gastrectomy 10 yr ago for early gastric cancer. A 76-yr-old man was admitted to our department with postprandial abdominal discomfort and bowel habit change. Intraabdominal multilocular cystic mass was detected by ultrasonography and computed tomography. We performed a complete En-bloc tumor resection including spleen and distal pancreas, and histological examination confirmed cystic lymphangioma originated from the greater omentum of the remnant stomach. Although the etiology of omental lymphangioma remains largely unclear, these findings suggested strongly that obstruction of the lymphatic vessels after gastric resection for gastric carcinoma might be the most plausible cause. The surgical extirpation with resection of organs involved appears to be a treatment of choice for such unusual case.