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Background Zinc deficiency is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the frequency is about 42.1% in Crohn’s disease (CD) and 38.5% in ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients with IBD with serum zinc deficiency are more likely to have adverse disease-specific outcomes. However, there are few studies about the effect of administering zinc preparations in IBD patients with zinc deficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of zinc acetate hydrate (Nobelzin®︎) preparation for patients with IBD with zinc deficiency. Methods 56 IBD patients who were treated with Nobelzin®︎ for zinc deficiency from March 2017 to November 2019 were analyzed. We conducted a multicenter retrospective observational study to investigate changes in serum zinc concentration or changes in disease activity before and after administration and their contributing factors. Results Among 56 cases, 4 cases were excluded due to self-interruption of internal use, and 52 cases (39 cases of CD, 13 cases of UC) were included. The median observation period was 27.5 (13–47) weeks, the median serum zinc concentration before administration was 58.5 (50.8–65.3) μg/dl, and the average of starting dose of Nobelzin®︎ was 67.8±31.1 mg/day. Nobelzin®︎ administration normalised serum zinc concentration(Zn ≥80 μg/dl) in 94.2 % (49/52) of patients. The median administration period required for normalisation of serum zinc concentration was 5 (3–8) weeks. In the group of CD patients who achieved zinc normalisation, the median CDAI score significantly improved after the normalisation from 171.5 to 129.5 (p < 0.001). Similarly, the partial Mayo score in the same group of UC significantly improved after the normalisation (p = 0.035). There were 77.6 % patients who did not have additional treatment without Nobelzin®︎ administration until zinc was normalised. In CD patients of this group, the median CDAI score significantly improved after the normalisation from 152 to 120 (p = 0.029). All 3 cases in which zinc normalisation was not achieved within the observation period were CD cases, and they had a history of multiple surgeries, changes in biologics, or a long medical history. In one patient, side effects of Nobelzin®︎ administration were observed and these were abdominal discomfort and nausea. During the observation period, serum copper concentration was measured in 27 patients after administration of Nobelzin®︎, and one patient presented with copper deficiency. Conclusion Our findings show that administration of zinc acetate hydrate preparations may be effective in improving zinc deficiency and contribute to improve disease activity in IBD patients with zinc deficiency.

Background: Selecting patients who will benefit from resection among those with advanced gallbladder cancer (GBCa) having poor prognostic factors is difficult. Methods: One hundred twenty-one patients who underwent resection for stage II–IV GBCa and 19 unresected patients (unresectable group) were enrolled. The clinical impact of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and advanced surgical procedures for GBCa was evaluated. Results: The optimal CA19-9 cutoff value (based on the greatest difference in overall survival) was 250 U/mL. CA19-9 ≥250 U/mL was found to be an independent prognostic factor. Patients with CA19-9 p = 0.061) or who required major hepatectomy (MST, 9.2 months; p = 0.066) or PD (MST, 8.6 months; p = 0.025); their prognosis was comparable to that of the unresectable group (jaundice: p = 0.145, major hepatectomy: p = 0.292, PD: p = 0.756). Conclusions: Even if GBCa patients develop jaundice or require major hepatectomy, or combined PD, resection can be considered for those with CA19-9

Background Existing therapies against myocardial infarction (MI) involve disease management by preventing additional damage to the heart muscle. However, new treatment strategies are in greater demand, which deems to focus on restoring cardiac function by replacing the damaged cells after MI, rather than merely manage the disease. Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) have emerged as a potential source of cardiac regenerative therapy. In spite of being a promising option, the poor differentiation potential of CDCs to develop into a functional population of cardiomyocytes has always been a significant setback. Purpose The purpose of the present study centers to overcome the aforementioned setback by enhancing the efficiency of rat CDCs to develop into a large population of cardiomyocytes by intrinsic activation of cardio-specific differentiation factors (TNNT2, GATA4, Mef2c) by Crispr/dcas9 assisted transcriptional enhancement system. Methods In the foremost step, an exhaustive screening was performed to identify the specific sequences in endogenous regulatory regions (enhancers and promoters) responsible for transcriptional activation of the TNNT2 gene. Once, potential regulatory regions at proximal and distal end of TNNT2 were identified, crRNAs were designed complementing these regions for recruiting Crispr/dcas9 system fused with transcriptional activator like VP64 (CRISPR-dCas9-VP64). Two distinct plasmids were constructed with crRNA (RFP fused) inserts and CRISPR-dCas9-VP64 (GFP fused) followed by transfection in CDCs those isolated from the heart of a neonatal rat. Post transfection, CDCs were then analyzed for the quantitative expression of cardiomyocyte differentiation factors as well as for fibroblast differentiation factors in comparison with un-transfected CDCs. Results We identified a panel of specific crRNA targeting the enhancers and promoters which demonstrated significantly higher expression of differentiation factors like troponin, GATA4, and Mef2c. Further, the fluorescent visualization with GFP and RFP was prominent in the CDCs confirming that these panel of crRNA enhanced the expression of differentiation factors compared to the un-transfected counterparts. Interestingly, the same panel crRNA, in contrast, demonstrated diminished expression of fibroblast differentiation factors like Col1A1, clearly emphasizing that the CRISPR dCas9 system recruitment at regulatory regions forms an efficient molecular targeting system for enhancing the differentiation potential of CDCs into cardiomyocytes. Conclusion We have identified endogenous regulatory regions responsible for an intrinsic activation of cardio-specific differentiation factors assisted by Crispr/dcas9 gene transcriptional system. We anticipate the method developed herein can enhance and cardiomyogenic efficiency of CDCs to differentiate into a large population of cardiomyocytes to treat Ischemic heart diseases.

Background and introduction Diabetic patients are at high risk of adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) even with durable polymer drug-eluting stents. A biodegradable polymer everolimus-eluting stents (BP-EES) might improve clinical outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus. Purpose This study aimed to compare the mid-term clinical outcomes between BP-EES and durable polymer everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES) in diabetic patients. Methods We investigated consecutive 383 patients treated with BP-EES or DP-EES at our Heart Center between January and December 2016. Among these patients, 155 (40.5%) patients had diabetes mellitus. The primary endpoint was 3-year cumulative incidence of target lesion failure (TLF) defined as target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI) and clinical-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). Moreover, the incidence of definite stent thrombosis (ST) was also evaluated. Results After propensity score matching, 148 patients were divided into 2 groups (BP-EES; N=74, DP-EES; N=74). The 3-year cumulative incidences of TLF were significantly lower in BP-EES group than in DP-EES group (BP-EES vs. DP-EES; 1.4% vs. 11.4%, p=0.01). The incidence of cardiac death, target vessel-related MI, and definite ST were none in the both group. Figure 1 Conclusions In diabetic patients, the incidence of TLR within 3 years was significantly lower in BP-EES than in DP-EES. In PCI for diabetic patients, BP-EES might improve clinical outcomes compared to DP-EES.

The authors used a three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM) to examine a series of fault rupture simulations for the 2014 Northern Nagano Earthquake and simultaneously estimate the displacement and strong motions. The computational results confirmed that the maximum responses of ground motions and displacement could be simultaneously evaluated using the appropriate constitutive parameters and fine FEM mesh. However, the duration of the acceleration response and shape of the surface displacement waves were not well simulated. In this study, we examined the influence of the fault bend at a shallow depth and P- and S-wave velocity structure models based on a geological survey. As a result, by taking account of bending of the fault plane and the elastic velocity structure at a shallow depth, it was possible to perform a seismic behaviour analysis using the 3D-FEM approach.

The Ryukyu limestone formation is not assumed to be a suitable load bearing foundation in Ryukyu Archipelago. The characteristics of Ryukyu limestone with various porosity under static and dynamic conditions have been investigated by the authors. Furthermore, the behavior of the interface between piles and Ryukyu limestone are tested using large-scale dynamic shear testing device. Some model piles founded on Ryukyu limestone are subjected to static and dynamic loads to check their deformation response and their load-bearing capacity. The authors will explain fundamental studies on foundations on Ryukyu Limestone Formation under static and dynamic loading conditions and present the outcomes of these studies and discuss their implications on bridge piles.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular method to detect Phomopsis sclerotioides in soil was developed using a species-specific primer pair. To improve sensitivity of the detection, three PCR techniques were used; namely, nested PCR using the primer pair internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and ITS4, time-release PCR using two different DNA polymerases (recombinant Taq and AmpliTaq Gold), and fluorescent PCR to obtain fluorescent-labeled PCR products that can be analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. The latter two techniques were combined and termed nested time-release fluorescent (NTRF)-PCR. The minimum concentration of DNA required to obtain species-specific PCR products successfully was 50 fg/μg. Using the NTRF-PCR method, the fungus could be detected in sandy soil that was artificially infested at a density of 10 CFU/g. The pathogen was detected in most soil samples collected from commercial cucumber fields in which visual disease symptoms had appeared, and even in samples collected from fields where visual disease symptoms had not appeared. To prevent the invasion and establishment of root-inhabiting pathogens such as P. sclerotioides, it is critical to detect the fungus in soil as soon as possible after its introduction into a cucumber-growing region.

To capture UK societal health utility values for high-risk metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) and the disutility associated with treatment-related adverse events (AEs) to inform future cost-utility analyses.A literature review, and patient and clinical expert interviews informed the development of health states characterising mHSPC symptoms and the impact of treatment-related AEs on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Three base health states were developed describing a typical patient with high-risk mHSPC: receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) [Base State 1]; receiving docetaxel plus ADT [Base State 2]; completed docetaxel and still receiving ADT whose disease has not yet progressed [Base State 3]. Six additional health states described treatment-related AEs. The health states were validated with experts and piloted with general public participants. Health state utilities were obtained using the time trade-off (TTO) method with 200 members of the UK general population. A generalised estimating equation (GEE) model was used to estimate disutility weights.Mean TTO scores for Base State 1 to 3 were 0.71 (SD = 0.26), 0.64 (SD = 0.27), and 0.68 (SD = 0.26), respectively, indicating that receiving docetaxel plus ADT was most impactful on HRQL. The GEE model indicated when compared to Base State 2 that the nausea and vomiting AE had the most impact on HRQL (- 0.21), while alopecia was least burdensome (- 0.04).The study highlights the differences in utility between base health states and the significant impact of treatment-related AEs on the HRQL of patients with mHSPC. These findings underline the importance of accounting for impaired HRQL when assessing treatments for mHSPC.

High precision measurements of the ground state hyperfine structure (HFS) of muonium is a stringent tool for testing bound-state quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory, determining fundamental constants of the muon magnetic moment and mass, and searches for new physics. Muonium is the most suitable system to test QED because both theoretical and experimental values can be precisely determined. Previous measurements were performed decades ago at LAMPF with uncertainties mostly dominated by statistical errors. At the J-PARC Muon Science Facility (MUSE), the MuSEUM collaboration is planning complementary measurements of muonium HFS both at zero and high magnetic field. The new high-intensity muon beam that will soon be available at H-Line will provide an opportunity to improve the precision of these measurements by one order of magnitude. An overview of the different aspects of these new muonium HFS measurements, the current status of the preparation for high-field measurements, and the latest results at zero field are presented.

The 18F(p,$\alpha$) reaction determines the rate of destruction of 18F in novae. It represents the key nuclear physics uncertainty in modelling the calculated flux of annihilation radiation emitted following the radioactive decay of 18F. The major uncertainties relate to states representing s-wave resonances in the compound system, 19Ne. We report a first study of the 19F(3He, t)19Ne reaction at intermediate energies and forward angles. This reaction has a simple, model-independent, mechanism that we use here to identify states near the proton threshold energy in 19Ne corresponding to $\Delta L=0$ transitions. In particular, we observe a $\Delta L=0$ state at 6.13 MeV which could significantly affect the 18F(p,$\alpha$) astrophysical S-factor at nova burning temperatures.

Supplemental Material for Serum high-mobility group box 1 is correlated with interferon-α and may predict disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus by A Tanaka, T Ito, K Kibata, N Inagaki-Katashiba, H Amuro, T Nishizawa, Y Son, Y Ozaki and S Nomura in Lupus

A disk and washer (DAW) coupled cavity linac (CCL) has been developed for a middle velocity part in a muon linac at the J-PARC E34 experiment. It will accelerate muons from v/c = 0.3 to 0.7 at an operational frequency of 1296 MHz. In this poster, the cavity designs, beam dynamics designs, and the cold-model measurements will be presented., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

Background:Coronary periarteritis is one of the clinical manifestations of IgG4-related disease. It can cause serious conditions such as angina and ruptured aneurysms. Therefore, it is important to recognize the clinical and radiological characteristics, which was little known.Objectives:We report four patients with IgG4-related coronary periarteritis with a systematic literature review.Methods:We identified four patients with IgG4-related coronary periarteritis at the St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan from 2014 to 2020. A systematic literature review was conducted for English articles on IgG4-related coronary periarteritis cases with a full text or abstract available. We summarized patient demographics, IgG and IgG4 titers, the site and morphological type of coronary lesion, and other organ involvements.Results:Our 4 cases and 38 cases identified by the literature review were assessed. Coronary artery lesions were detected by a coronary CT in all but two cases. Wall thickening was the most common type of the lesion. Moreover, there were 32 (76.1%) patients with other organ involvements. The commonest other lesion was peri-aortitis in 21 (50.0%) patients. In cases with peri-aortitis, IgG and IgG4 titers were significantly higher than those without peri-aortitis (IgG4; 1540 [705.0, 2570.0] vs 246.0 [160.0, 536.3]; p = 0.001, IgG; 3596.5 [2838.3, 4260.0] vs 1779.0 [1288.3, 1992.8]; p =0.040). In addition, 15 (71.4%) patients of them had three or more IgG4 related organ involvements.Conclusion:Coronary CT was a useful imaging modality for the diagnosis of IgG4-related coronary periarteritis, and wall thickening was the most common lesion. Moreover, about half cases coexisted with peri-aortitis. Peri-aortitis and other organ involvements should be screened in those with higher IgG and IgG4.Table 1.Characteristics of our cases and the literature review cases.RCA: right coronary artery, LAD: left anterior descending artery, LCx: left circumflex arteryDisclosure of Interests:None declared

The Remote Experimentation Centre (REC) in Japan has been preparing to replicate the full dataset of ITER over 10 000 km distance. In such a multi-site data repository environment, the data location informing service will be essential to find and retrieve the data efficiently. Considering the long latency time and the self sustainability of remote sites, the data location database should be running at each repository site. Multi-master asynchronous replication between cooperating databases will be essential to realize the remote experimental collaborations in fusion research. This study has investigated the functional differences of some relational databases and found that Postgres BDR has the expected database replication capabilities. Bi-directional replication (BDR) tests by using the LHD database and SNET revealed that the throughputs are sufficient for remote collaborations in fusion experiments.

Technical verification has been progressing for high efficiency data replication between ITER and the Remote Experimentation Centre (REC) in Japan. Transferring a huge amount of data simultaneously to multiple destinations might cause excessive loads and network bandwidth on the sender so that daisy-chained relay transfer would be a considerable solution. This study demonstrates how efficiently the replication relay could be realized for the next-generation fusion experiments, such as ITER and JT-60SA. All the LHD data were consecutively sent to the REC through the global loop path (GLP: Toki - Gifu - Tokyo - Amsterdam - New York - Los Angeles - Tokyo - Aomori - Rokkasho) on SINET5 L2VPN, whose round-trip time is almost 400 ms. MMCFTP was used for the data transferring application. In both the Japan domestic path and the GLP cases, every transfer shows a very stable flattop speed as the preset 8 Gbps. However, longer gap times were needed in MMCFTP initial negotiation to establish numerous sessions. The performance optimized NVMe and iSCSI striped storages have shown higher throughputs than the ITER estimated initial data rate of 2 GB/s. Those knowledge enable the design optimization of not only the sender/receiver servers with their storages but also the intermediate relay server system.

Marek's disease is an important neoplastic disease in birds caused by a serotype 1 specific herpesvirus; it is controlled by vaccination. In commercial breeders and layers in Brazil, current vaccination programs use the combination of attenuated or non-pathogenic strains of the HVT virus (turkey herpesvirus - serotype 3) and CVI 988 (Rispens - serotype 1). The combination of serotype 3 and 1 it has been an important and effective control strategy through the vaccination of long-lived birds. In addition, more recently the recombinant rHVT strain (vectorized vaccines) has been used in some vaccine programs. This study’s main objective was to compare CVI and HVT components’ replication in feather tips in three different Marek's disease (MD) immunoprophylactic programs (T01 – program A, T02 – program B and T03 – program C). Quantification of these two vaccine strains was performed by real-time PCR in samples collected at the ages of 14, 21, and 28 days. At 14 days, mean of log[cvi] in program B was significantly higher than C (p

Modern designing process of combat helmets requires both numerical modeling and experimental validation in order to achieve exigent requirements combining impact resistance and reasonable weight. In this work a finite element model of a combat helmet is presented. Mechanical behaviour of the shell aramid composite under impact conditions was analyzed from experimental Fragment Simulating Projectile (FSP) and Full-Metal Jacketed (FMJ) impact tests on aramid flat plates. Numerical modeling based on finite elements method was used to simulate both impacts in simple plates of the composite and also the simulation of ballistic impact involving real ammunition and the complex geometry of the helmet including inner foam. Experimental work involving impact tests on composite plates and also ballistic test on the helmet with a dummy provided real data for comparison with models predictions and proved the accuracy of the numerical models developed. The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain and FEDER program under the Project RTC-2015-3887-8 for the financial support of the work.

In this study, we investigated the pathogenesis of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in the chicken kidney. Twenty-six 32-day-old specific pathogen-free chickens were intranasally inoculated with the 9a5b NDV mutant isolate. Kidney tissue samples, collected at 6 and 12 hours postinoculation (hpi) and 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 days postinoculation (dpi), were analyzed by histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and virus titration. Histopathologically, tubulointerstitial nephritis was detected in the renal cortex and predominantly in the medulla. Nephrotropism of 9a5b NDV was confirmed by IHC, RT-PCR, and virus isolation. Massive degenerative changes and infiltration of CD3-immunopositive cells accompanied replication of the 9a5b NDV isolate in chicken kidneys. In conclusion, pathological changes that were caused by NDV in chicken kidneys were similar to those caused by avian influenza virus, infectious bronchitis virus, and avian nephritis virus, and this highlights the importance of including NDV in the differential diagnosis of kidney disease in chickens.

Upon beginning the LHD deuterium experiment, the opportunity for maintenance work in the torus hall will be conspicuously reduced such that all instruments must be controlled remotely. The LHD data acquisition (DAQ) and archiving system have been using about 110 DAQ front-end, and the DAQ central control and monitor system has been implemented for their remote management. This system is based on the “multi-agent” model whose communication protocol has been unified. Since DAQ front-end electronics would suffer from the “single-event effect” (SEE) of D-D neutrons, software-based remote operation might become ineffective, and then securely intercepting or recycling the electrical power of the device would be indispensable for recovering from a non-responding fault condition. In this study, a centralized control and monitor system has been developed for a number of power distribution units (PDUs). This system adopts the plug-in structure in which the plug-in modules can absorb the differences among the commercial products of numerous vendors. The combination of the above-mentioned functionalities has led to realizing the flexible and highly reliable remote control infrastructure for the plasma diagnostics and the device management in LHD.

Multiscale analysis of a semi-periodically perforated plate based on a homogenization theory is experimentally validated both macroscopically and microscopically, using a full-field strain measurement. To do this, a plate-fin-type perforated plate with a misaligned microstructure is considered as a semi-periodically perforated plate. Then, a homogenization theory that can analyze macroscopic behavior and microscopic stress and strain distributions of the perforated plate is presented. To validate the theory, a tensile test of a plate-fin-type semi-periodically perforated plate made of epoxy resin is conducted. During the test, the microscopic deformation of the specimen is observed with a digital image correlation (DIC) full-field measurement system, from which microscopic strain distribution of the specimen is calculated. It is shown that the obtained strain distribution satisfies the unit-cell periodicity except at edges of the periodic structure, and that the strain distribution is in good agreement with the result of analysis using the homogenization theory. It is also shown that the macroscopic stress–strain relationships obtained by the experiment and analysis agree well, supporting the macroscopic and microscopic validity of the multiscale analysis using the homogenization theory.

Purpose Sirolimus (SRL) is used to treat pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (P-LAM). There is limited evidence that SRL has systemic efficacy for the patients with extrapulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (E-LAM) remaining after lung transplantation (LT) for P-LAM. This report examines the efficacy of SRL treatment for the patient with E-LAM remaining after an LT for P-LAM. Case Summary The course of the patient's recovery from an LT for P-LAM was complicated by lymphedema in the left femoral region that was caused by two E-LAM lesions remaining in the left pelvic cavity and in the retroperitoneal area. After the LT was performed, the patient started SRL treatment to reduce the E-LAM lesions. The daily SRL dose, selected based on the standard SRL dose for P-LAM, was initiated at 1 mg/d and was maintained at 2 mg/d. The remaining E-LAM lesions and lymphedema in the left femoral region improved in approximately 9 months after the LT with the administration of both SRL and the standard immunosuppressive therapy used by Okayama University Hospital, including tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. The SRL and tacrolimus trough concentrations in whole blood were maintained within the therapeutic window for the next 1.5 years after initiation of SRL treatment. The patient experienced no severe adverse events that required discontinuation of the SRL treatment during this time. Conclusion The patients with remaining E-LAM lesions may receive SRL treatment to improve the quality of life after LT for P-LAM as effective therapy in cases where the patient's recovery is complicated by E-LAM lesions.

State-of-the-art silicon water splitting photoelectrochemical cells employ oxide protection layers that exhibit electrical conductance in between that of dielectric insulators and electronic conductors, optimizing both built-in field and conductivity. The SiO2-like layer interposed between a deposited protective oxide film and its Si substrate plays a key role as a tunnel oxide that can dominate the total device impedance. In this report, we investigate the effects of changes in interfacial SiO2 resistance and capacitance in the oxide bilayer through both solid state leakage current and capacitance–voltage measurements and through electrochemical methods applied to water splitting cells. Modelling is performed to describe both types of data in a simple and intuitive way, allowing for insights to be developed into the connections among both the dielectric (charge storage) and conductive (charge transport) properties of bilayer protective oxides and their effects on oxygen evolution performance. Finally, atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 is studied as an insulator layer with conductivity intermediate between that of tunnel oxide SiO2 and the more conductive ALD-TiO2, to further generalize this understanding.

Background:Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an essential drug for systemic lupus erythematosus. But in Japan, chloroquine and HCQ remain unavailable until mid 2015 because of a series of lawsuits about its retinal toxicity in the 1970s. There is insufficient knowledge regarding renal protective effect of HCQ.Objectives:We aimed to investigate its efficacy of adding HCQ for Lupus nephritis (LN) as a maintenance-phase therapy.Methods:We conducted an observational retrospective cohort study included patients with LN (n=42) in maintenance-phase in Japan. We reviewed medical records of LN patients aged > 18 years who were initiated HCQ from May 2015 to May 2018. Maintenance phase was defined as stabilization in serum creatinine and urinary segment after induction therapy and who achieved complete or partial remission. The annual change of proteinuria was compared between patients on HCQ who have proteinuria (>0.5g/gCr) or not. Other outcome measures were disease flare, dose of steroids, renal and immunologic features.Results:A total of 42 patients were analyzed and allocated to two groups based on their amount of daily urine protein level: HCQ with proteinuria as group A (>0.5g/gCr, n=14) and HCQ without proteinuria as group B(≦0.5g/gCr, n=28). Both groups were comparable, with mean (SD) age of 36.1 (12.9) years and 37.5 (13.8), female 78.6% and 92.9% in each group, mean (SD) disease duration until HCQ of 3.5 (3.25) and 3.3 (2.9) years in group A and group B, with prednisolone dose at base line of 10.3 (7.1) mg and 7.9 (4.4) mg, respectively. The mean (SD) proteinuria at base line was 1.38 (1.11) g/gCr in group A and 0.20 (0.09) g/gCr in group B and after 12 months, proteinuria decreased in group A (-1.34 g/gCr in group A vs +0.03 g/gCr in group B; pConclusion:In patients with clinically stable LN but with proteinuria, hydroxychloroquine is a good therapeutic option for achievement of complete remission.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

High-temperature superconducting magnets are generally driven by a power supply (driven mode), and temporal fluctuations of the power supply unit, such as ripple noise, directly affect the magnetic field stability. A method of suppressing such temporal instability by short-circuiting both ends of the coil with finite low-resistance joints, somewhat similar to a persistent current switch, has been proposed in order to form a closed loop having a large time constant, L/R. In this research, we developed two types of REBCO superconducting switches was constructed with a non-inductive winding using mainly ordinary copper-coated REBCO tapes, and type-B switch used uncoated REBCO tapes toward application to emergency shutdown. For the type-B switch, at the end of the winding, copper-coated REBCO tapes were jointed to prevent degradation by exposure to moisture. The R-T and V-I characteristics of each switch when cooled with liquid nitrogen were tested. The type-A switch was applied to a test REBCO magnet, and the temporal stability of the magnetic field was evaluated under a conduction cooling configuration in the driven mode.

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is a cell surface molecule specific to Gram-positive bacteria. How LTA localises on the cell surface is a fundamental issue in view of recognition and immunomodulation in hosts. In the present study, we examined LTA localisation using strain JCM 1131T of Lactobacillus gasseri, which is a human intestinal lactic acid bacterium, during various growth phases by immunoelectron microscopy. We first evaluated the specificity of anti-LTA monoclonal antibody clone 55 used as a probe. The glycerophosphate backbone comprising almost intact size (20 to 30 repeating units) of LTA was required for binding. The antibody did not bind to other cellular components, including wall-teichoic acid. Immunoelectron microscopy indicated that LTA was embedded in the cell wall during the logarithmic phase, and was therefore not exposed on the cell surface. Similar results were observed for Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 7469T. By contrast, membrane vesicles were observed in the logarithmic phase of L. gasseri with LTA exposed on their surface. In the stationary and death phases, LTA was exposed on cell wall-free cell membrane generated by autolysis. The dramatic alternation of localisation in different growth phases and exposure on the surface of membrane vesicles should relate with complicated interaction between bacteria and host.

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) device, consisting of a pair of transducers on a piezoelectric substrate, works as a high-frequency band-pass filter. Usually the substrate is nonmagnetic, and the transmission strength and frequency cannot be controlled by an external field. This study reports a SAW device based instead on multiferroic BiFeO${}_{3}$; in this case, the amplitude and phase of the SAW signal $c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n$ be modulated by an external magnetic field, thanks to the coupled magnetoelastic response of the ferrite. This approach extends the functionality of such SAW devices, which are indispensable in communication technology (your mobile phone uses one, for example).

It is well known that some sinkholes or subsidence take place from time to time in the areas where abandoned room and pillar type mines exist. The author has been involved with the stability of abandoned mines beneath urbanized residential areas in Tokai region and there is a great concern about the stability of these abandoned mines during large earthquakes as well as in the long term. The 2003 Miyagi Hokubu and 2011 Great East Japan earthquakes caused great damage to abandoned mines and resulted in many collapses. The author presents the effect of the depth and groundwater on the formation of sinkholes or ground subsidence associated with abandoned room and pillar lignite mines under static and dynamic conditions and discusses the implications on the areas above abandoned lignite mines in this paper.

The Pilbara Craton in NW Australia (Fig. 1) exposes one of the well-preserved and least -metamorphosed greenstone belts in the Archean. Greenstone belts are normally composed of a complex amalgam of meta-basaltic and meta-sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks of the greenstone belts are good targets to search for clues of early Earth's environment and life. In recent years, several scientific drilling programs (e.g.: Archean Biosphere Drilling Project (ABDP), Ohmoto et al., 2006; Deep Time Drilling Project (DTDP), Anbar et al., 2007, Kaufman et al., 2007; PDP: Pilbara Drilling Project, Philippot et al., 2007) were successfully completed in the western Pilbara area, where 3.5, 2.9, 2.7, and 2.5 Ga sedimentary units were drilled. However, there is a huge time gap in the samples drilled by ABDP and DTDP that represents middle Archean time , between 3.5 Ga and 2.9 Ga (i.e., ~600 Ma, equivalent to the duration of the entire Phanerozoic). The Cleaverville-Dixon Island area of the coastal Pilbara terrain (Fig. 1) is suited to filling in the missing record. It contains well-preserved volcanosedimentary sequences (Cleaverville Group dated at 3.2 Ga) where hydrothermal vein systems, organic-rich siliceoussedimentary rocks, and iron-rich sedimentary rocks are developed (Kiyokawa et al., 2006). Such geological materials may be used to reconstruct past submarine hydrothermal activity and its influence on biological activity. Indeed, some attempts have been made to answer the key questions. However, the surface outcrops in this area are generally weathered to variable degrees; thus they are apparently notsuitable for geo-biological and geochemical studies which require unaltered original chemical/isotopic compositions from the time of their formation in the middle Archean. Consequently, we carried out the “Dixon Island - Cleaverville Drilling Project (DXCL-DP)”, to obtain “fresh” samples from the sedimentary sequences in the Cleaverville—Dixon Island area.

[EN] The exigent requirements for personal protections in terms of energy absorption and ergonomics have led to increasing interest in bioinspired protections. This work focuses on the numerical analysis of ballistic behavior of different bioinspired geometries under impact loadings. Ceramic armors based on ganoid fish scales (the type exhibited by gars, bichirs and reedfishes), placoid fish scales (characterizing sharks and rays) and armadillo natural protection have been considered. Different impact conditions are studied, including perpendicular and oblique impacts to surface protection, different yaw angle, and multiple impacts. Main conclusion is related to the improved efficiency of modular armors against multiple shots exhibiting more localized damage and crack arrest properties. Moreover, its potential ergonomic is a promising characteristic justifying a deeper study., The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work has been carried out within the framework of the research program Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion 2015, and research projects DPI2017-88166-R, and RTC-2015-3887-8 of FEDER program financed by the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad of Spain. The support of the Generalitat Valenciana, Programme PROMETEO 2016/007 is also acknowledged.