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The addition of wood flour improves the mechanical properties of thermoplastics, but also increases the burning rate of neat plastics profoundly. To modify the flammability of wood-plastic composites (WPCs), various additive-type fire retardants such as ammonium polyphosphate (APP), melamine polyphosphate (MPP), and aluminum hydroxide were added to improve the fire performance of WPCs. Both UL94 flame tests and cone calorimetry were used to evaluate the fire performance of WPCs, and the results proved that the addition of 10 wt% APP lead to enhanced self-extinguishing properties. On the other hand, polypropylene with 30 wt% of APP did not achieve self-extinguish properties. The effective parameters in the cone calorimetry test to give self-extinguishing properties were discussed by comparing the results of the burning tests. It was presumed that the most important parameters for self-extinguishing of WPCs was an average heat release rate at initial stage of burning. The effect of fire retardants on the mechanical properties of WPCs was also investigated. The tensile strength and modulus of the composites decreased with the addition of fire retardants.

In recent years, social multimedia sharing services such as YouTube, which share User Generated Content (UGC) have become much attracted. An efficient control of UGC is one of important roles to achieve, e.g., an optimized placement of advertisements for end users, or content-aware caching control for improving the utilization of network resources. For this reason, it is effective to forecast the future popularity of the content as early as possible, so that we can take a proactive action to highly popular contents. In this paper, we propose a method to classify the popularity of UGCs in real time using K-means clustering, and analyze tendencies led by popularity patterns.We then propose a method to identify UGCs which are expected to be popular in future, by taking both the initial part of popularity patterns and actual counts of content retrieves into consideration. Our experimental results show that the accuracy of identification of popular UGCs can be increased around 10% by considering the initial part of popularity patterns.

High-pressure behaviors of Linde-type A (LTA) zeolite were investigated using a quasi-hydrostatic pressure medium of noble gases (helium or argon). High-pressure in situ X-ray diffraction measurements combined with the use of a diamond anvil cell did not observe any structural phase transition for LTA zeolites up to a pressure of approximately 12 GPa at room temperature. However, it was found that the compressibility strongly depended not only on the pressure medium but also on the pressurization process. LTA zeolites showed significant incompressible behaviors at pressures between 2 and ∼7 GPa when it was compressed in helium. Based on careful analyses of the data together with the results of previous high-pressure studies, the incompressibility of LTA zeolites was induced by the penetration of a large amount of noble gas atoms into the cages of LTA zeolites under high pressures. The present results offer interesting and important information on the atomic diffusion process for open-structured materials under high pressures and thus have great implications for the development of new noble-gas-atom filled materials, as well as geochemical implications.

Short-carbon-fiber/polypropylene composites (CF/PP composites) have high processability and recyclability but low strength. To improve the strength, various nanofillers were hybridized to form fiber-reinforced composites. Adding nanofillers improves not only the strength but also the elastic modulus, with the exception of clay nanofillers. To understand the strengthening mechanism resulting from the addition of nanofillers, the residual fiber length and interfacial shear strength were measured. For CF/PP composites, the addition of alumina, silica, and CNT improves the interfacial shear strength, and thereby, the mechanical properties. On the basis of this result, proper choice of nanofiller type and content for improving the mechanical properties of PP/CF composites is discussed.

We investigated the efficient use of cellulose to resolve the problem of the depletion of fossil resources. In this study, as the biomass material, the green composite based on natural rubber (NR) and the flake-shaped cellulose particles (FSCP) was produced. The FSCP were produced by mechanical milling in a planetary ball mill with a grinding aid as a cellulose aggregation inhibitor. Moreover, talc and mica particles were used to compare with FSCP. NR was mixed with vulcanizing agents in an internal mixer. And then each filler was added to NR compound in an internal mixer. The vulcanizing agents are as follows: stearic acid, zinc oxide, sulfur, and vulcanization accelerator. The functionalities of the composites were evaluated by a vibration-damping experiment and a gas permeability experiment. As a result, we found that FSCP filler has effects similar to (or more than) inorganic filler in vibration-damping and O2 barrier properties.

Aim It has been reported that branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) supplementation can improve nutritional status and reduce liver-related complications in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. BCAA supplementation reportedly reduces the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in obese cirrhotic patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). We investigated the effects of oral supplementation with BCAA granules on hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis using propensity score matching. Methods A total of 60 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis and without history of HCC who were selected by one-to-one matching of propensity scores: 30 patients receiving 12 g/day of BCAA granules for 3 months or more (BCAA group) and 30 being observed without BCAA supplementation (control group). The impact of BCAA supplementation was analyzed on the incidence of HCC. Results The 3- and 5-year rates of HCC development were 13.7% and 13.7% in the BCAA group and 35.1% and 44.5% in the control group, respectively. The BCAA group had a significantly lower rate of HCC than the control group (P = 0.032). Multivariate analysis for factors that were associated with hepatocarcinogenesis indicated that BCAA supplementation was independently associated with a reduced incidence of HCC (hazard ratio 0.131; 95% confidence interval, 0.032–0.530; P = 0.004) along with sex and serum α-fetoprotein. Obesity (body mass index, ≥25 kg/m2) was not significantly associated with an increased incidence of HCC. Conclusion Oral supplementation with BCAA granules is associated with a reduced incidence of HCC in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis regardless of the presence of obesity based on the propensity score analysis.

The orientation fluctuation of a reciprocal lattice vector of a biaxial microcrystal suspended in a liquid medium under a dynamic magnetic field is investigated theoretically to evaluate the broadening of the X-ray diffraction spots from a suspension of the microcrystals. The dynamic magnetic fields considered are those that confine the three magnetic susceptibility axes to the laboratory coordinates. The fluctuation is expressed in terms of the magnetic anisotropy of the biaxial microcrystal and the type of applied dynamic magnetic field. We find that for most reciprocal lattice vectors, the fluctuation is anisotropic, and that the principal axes of fluctuation are inclined with respect to the longitude and latitude of the reciprocal lattice sphere.

Grouting is commonly used to decrease the hydraulic conductivity of fractured rock masses and control the groundwater inflow. Since underground facilities are constructed in various geological conditions, different types of grout material and mixing/injection methods have been developed for effective and economical grout injection. It is also important to evaluate the grout arrival distance and the range of the altered hydraulic conductivity field after grout injection. However, the mechanism of the grout injection process has not yet been clarified sufficiently due to complex chemical and physical processes during grout injection. In this study, to simulate the grout injection process, a three-dimensional numerical model based on an equivalent continuum approach was developed and applied to the in situ grout injection tests at the Grimsel test site, Switzerland. In the simulations, the injection pressure and/or the injection rate was given as a boundary condition and the total amount of injected grout (s...

Spinal cord injury can have debilitating consequences, commonly resulting in motor dysfunction below the lesion site and the development of chronic pain syndromes. The serotonin pathway is important for inhibiting noxious stimuli and facilitating motor function after spinal cord injury. The serotonin 2C receptor (5HTR2C) has several characteristic features, and is regulated by the amount of serotonin 2C receptor as well as RNA editing and alternative splicing. In this study, we used a rat model of spinal contusion injury to investigate the relationship between the pain threshold and 5HTR2C alternative splicing. The pain threshold was assessed using mechanical stimulation with von Frey filaments. We then used real-time PCR to examine the RNA levels of 5HTR2C in three sections of the spinal cord: the rostral, injury-core, and caudal positions. On postoperative day 12, the pain threshold in injured rats was significantly reduced compared with sham-operated and naïve rats. The total 5HTR2C levels were significantly lower in injured rats than in naïve rats at all positions, and significantly lower in injured rats compared with sham-operated rats at injury-core and caudal positions. The ratio of exon Vb-skipped nonfunctional 5HTR2C mRNA to total 5HTR2C was significantly higher in injured rats compared with naïve rats at the injury-core and caudal positions, and significantly higher in injured rats compared with sham-operated rats at the caudal position. These results indicate that spinal contusion injury, which causes neuropathic pain, induces serotonergic dysfunction. This dysfunction appears to be mediated by decreased 5HTR2C mRNA expression, and alternative splicing. These results confirm the importance of considering splice variants when examining 5HTR2C.

In the sheet metal processing, nesting and scheduling are important design and operational tasks, respectively. The optimal cutting layout is determined by nesting for reducing waste of material while the optimal sequence is determined by scheduling for increasing efficiency of operational activities. Since we often encounter trade-offs regarding to their decision-making, they should be considered simultaneously. Accordingly, we previously proposed an integrated method of nesting and scheduling under a certain system boundary. In order to realize more efficient manufacturing, the punching process, which is the first process of sheet metal processing, should be considered. To work with this problem, in this study, we have extended our previous method by applying genetic algorithm for the optimization of sequence of punching process which depends on the cutting layout. Numerical experiment is provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Transcription factors organize gene expression profiles by regulating promoter activity. However, the role of transcription factors after transcription initiation is poorly understood. Here, we show that the homeoprotein Nkx2-5 and the 5’-3’ exonuclease Xrn2 are involved in the regulation of alternative polyadenylation (APA) during mouse heart development. Nkx2-5 occupied not only the transcription start sites (TSSs) but also the downstream regions of genes, serving to connect these regions in primary embryonic cardiomyocytes (eCMs). Nkx2-5 deficiency affected Xrn2 binding to target loci and resulted in increases in RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) occupancy and in the expression of mRNAs with long 3’untranslated regions (3’ UTRs) from genes related to heart development. siRNA-mediated suppression of Nkx2-5 and Xrn2 led to heart looping anomaly. Moreover, Nkx2-5 genetically interacts with Xrn2 because Nkx2-5+/-Xrn2+/-, but neither Nkx2-5+/-nor Xrn2+/-, newborns exhibited a defect in ventricular septum formation, suggesting that the association between Nkx2-5 and Xrn2 is essential for heart development. Our results indicate that Nkx2-5 regulates not only the initiation but also the usage of poly(A) sites during heart development. Our findings suggest that tissue-specific transcription factors is involved in the regulation of APA. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16030.001, eLife digest About one in every hundred babies is born with problems that either affect the structure of the heart or how it works. These problems are known as congenital heart disease, and result when the development of the heart is disrupted. How the heart develops is determined by thousands of genes whose activity or “expression” must be precisely regulated. Proteins called transcription factors can control gene expression; therefore, researchers may discover new ways of treating congenital heart disease if they can understand how transcription factors work during normal heart development. To produce a protein, the information in a gene must first be “transcribed” to form a molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA). Not all of the mRNA sequence is subsequently “translated” to form the protein; this includes a stretch at the end of the mRNA called the 3’ untranslated region. The length of the 3’ untranslated region for a particular mRNA may vary depending on the type of cell it has been produced in, and this length can influence how efficiently the mRNA is translated to form a protein. However, it was not clear what changes the length of the 3’ untranslated region. Nimura et al. have now studied mice to investigate the role of a transcription factor called Nkx2-5, which was known to be important for heart development. This revealed that in addition to its expected role in starting the transcription of genes that are important for heart development, Nkx2-5 also controls the length of 3’ untranslated regions of certain mRNAs. To do so, Nkx2-5 binds to a protein called Xrn2 that stops transcription when the end of the gene is reached. Mouse embryos that lacked Nkx2-5 produced mRNAs containing long 3’ untranslated regions from genes related to the development of the heart. Furthermore, suppressing the activity of both Nkx2-5 and Xrn2 resulted in the embryos developing heart defects. The findings of Nimura et al. suggest that transcription factors found in specific tissues are responsible for the different lengths of 3’ untranslated regions in mRNAs in different tissues. Furthermore, incorrectly regulating the length of these regions appears to be linked to the development of congenital heart disease. The next step is to understand exactly how the failure to correctly regulate the length of 3’ untranslated regions contributes to congenital heart disease. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16030.002

We evaluated the bypass operation as palliation for unresectable esophageal cancer. In this study, patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A included 19 patients with good progress, defined as sufficient oral ingestion for more than 2 months. The other 10 patients were in Group B and had poor progress. Oral ingestion was impossible postoperatively in 2 of 29 cases. Although there is a difference of a grade, other patients could have improvement of quality of life. Patients with no preoperative therapy and patients whose nutrient state was maintained comparatively well had a good adaptation after bypass surgery. We concluded that if the surgeon chooses the patients carefully, bypass is a very useful operative method.

In recent years, the side-to-side intestinal anastomosis has become a widely used technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference in the burst pressures and weak points using three different kinds of suture instruments.Fresh pig esophagus and small bowel were used for all experiments. A side-to-side anastomosis was performed using three linear staplers, and the burst pressure was measured. Stapling devices used were the GIATM60-3.8, Endo GIATM60-3.5 and 60AMT.In the GIATM6O-3.8 group, mean burst pressure was 34.5mmHg, with the burst point being the side of the staple line in one case, the side and the crotch simultaneously in two cases, and the crotch alone in two cases. In the GIA TM60-3.5 and 60AMT groups, mean burst pressure was 74.3 mmHg and 55.5 mmHg, and the burst point was the crotch in all cases. The difference between the instruments was significant.With two-row stapling devices, the side and the crotch of the staple line are equally weak. On the other hand, three-row staplers have not only greater burst pressures, but also the only weak point is the crotch. Thus, crotch reinforcement in side- to-side stapled anastomoses is critical regardless of the amount of rows used.

Fibrous cellulose made from wood pulp was mechanically milled into flake-shaped cellulose particles(FS-CPs) using a planetary ball mill with additives under several conditions. The average particle diameter of the FS-CPs was ca. 15μm, and the particles were available in a variety of thicknesses by changing the kind of the additives used in the milling process. FS-CPs-reinforced olefinic thermoplastic elastomer composites were prepared under melt mixing and passed through an open roll to orient the particles. The tensile modulus of the composites with a compatibilizer increased with increasing the particle content. The damping properties of the composites improved, compared to the neat elastomer. On the other hand, the fibrous cellulose was suspended in water, followed by wet disk-milled to prepare cellulose nanofibers(CNFs). The wet ground products showed nanoscopic fine morphology. CNFs-reinforced natural rubber(NR) composites were prepared by mixing the water suspension of CNFs with NR latex using a homogenizer. Then, it was dried in an oven and mixed again with vulcanizing ingredients of rubber using an open roll. The tensile properties of the composites improved remarkably by the addition of small amount of CNFs.

自動車車体衝突時には,鋼板製の部品のエッジを起点にして破断が発生する場合がある.また破断の発生の有無は,車体衝突シミュレーションの精度に影響を与える.鋼板エッジの破断限界はエッジの加工条件によって大きく変化することが知られており,それらの理論的な予測は困難である.鋼板エッジから発生する破断の限界値の簡易的な評価指標を得るために,数種類の方法で加工した穴を有する試験片の引張試験を行うことで,穴縁の破断限界を測定した.重回帰分析を使用することで,汎用的な材料試験で得られる機械的特性のうち,どの因子が限界値に影響を及ぼすのかについて調査した.結果として,これらの破断限界は鋼板の伸びと限界穴拡げ率を組み合わせた指標によって表すことができた., In the vehicle collisions, fractures can be occurred from the edge of steel sheet parts. And the existence or nonexistence of the fracture has the influence on the accuracy of the vehicle crash simulations. It is known that the fracture limit on the edge of steel sheet is much affected by the edge processing conditions and their theoretical prediction is difficult. In order to obtain the simple prediction index of fracture limit from the edge of steel sheets, the fracture limits of holes of rectangular specimen processed using several methods were measured by tensile tests. It was examined which mechanical properties of standardized tests were influenced to the limits using multiple regression analysis. And it was clarified that these fracture limits are represented by the combination of the elongation and hole-expansion ratio of steel sheet.

The purpose of this study is to verify the validity of sheet buckling design based on the effective width theory investigation of impact crushing properties in high strength steel sheets. We clarify the need to make full sections effectively without elastic buckling occurring and consider the application of the effective width theory under high speed deformation. We report our findings of our investigation into the sheet buckling phenomenon with numerical simulation by varying deformation strain rate, mechanical property of material and member configuration. The results demonstrate that, with increasing crush speed, the cross section of a steel sheet become effective, while there is a high possibility of the buckling phenomenon that does not function as efficient impact absorption and is not evaluated with the existing theory.

The particle assembling state in slurries for cathode of Li-ion battery, which consists of LiCoO2 with particle size of about 10μm and acetylene black powder (AcB) with particle size of about 50 nm, was evaluated through settling test, hydrostatic pressure measurement and flow curve measurement. Several kinds of polymer were used to control the slurry properties. It is found that the slurry consisting of coarse and very fine particles behaved such as a high viscosity liquid when the coarse particles dispersed in the fine particles' gel with a proper strength. It is also shown that the acetylene black can dominate the slurry property while its mass content is quite smaller than that of LiCoO2. We can conclude that the particle assembling state of multi-component slurries such as the LiCoO2 / AcB slurry can be well evaluated by the combination of settling curve, hydrostatic pressure curve and flow curve.

For organic radical batteries, poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy-4-yl methacrylate)(PTMA) has been reported as a promising positive electrode material. The PTMA/C composite electrode prepared with polyacrylate binder demonstrated the fast redox performance for the application to aprotic secondary batteries. When the variation in discharge capacities of the PTMA/C composite electrode was tested galvanostatically at 20C rates, the electrode retained 96% of the initial capacity after 1000 cycles. This is attributed to the fact that the redox of FTMA is a simple reaction to form the oxoammonium salt doped with ClO(4)(-) anions in the electrolyte. When the PTMA/C composite electrode was discharged at different C rates, the electrode retained 81% of the theoretical capacity even at 50C rates. This remarkably high rate capability originates from the fast electron-transfer kinetic of the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (so-called TEMPO) radical, partially jelled polyacrylate binder, and the improved conductivity throughout the electrode by thoroughly mixing with carbon. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recently, semi-solid processing is paid to attention in the field of the light alloys. By this method, it is improved ductility and fatigue strength. Although, because of those mechanical properties of the elongation and toughness is not excellent, the range that can be the application to parts is limited. On the other hand, it is reported that grain refinements cause improvement of ductility and appearance of super plasticity. Then, Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) method is reported to be effective to the sample making of a bulk and ultra fine grain in various alloys in recent years. In this study, it tried to improve ductility and durability due to making ultra fine grain in AC4CH alloys by the ECAP method, and the influence of ECAP processing on the mechanical property of AC4CH was investigated. As the result, the ductility of AC4CH has improved by ECAP processing. However, the tensile strength of AC4CH declined along with the increase in the number of passes. So, for the purpose of additional improvement of tensile strength, ECAP-Back Pressure (ECAP-BP) method that was reported to be more effective for grain refinements than ECAP method was applied to semi-solid AC4CH and compared with ECAP method. As the result, the tensile strength of AC4CH was maintained by use of ECAP-BP. Moreover, both ductility and toughness of that have been also improved.

以前に報告した型締め力20トンの半凝固射出成形機の実験結果に基づき,型締め力200トンの試作機が設計され,製造されました.この試作機の使用によって,半凝固温度領域の制御方法の精度が確認されました.また,固相率が30%であっても製造できることが検証されました.同じ成形条件による試行テストの結果,溶融状態および半凝固の状態によって流動性が異なることを明らかにしました.また,この新しい半凝固射出成形を従来のダイカストと比較することによって,多くの長所があることが検証されました.この新しいプロセスの実用性を確認するために,自動車の主要部分であるクラッチピストンを試作成形することが行なわれました.欠陥のないクラッチピストンを得るために実験計画法が利用されました.耐久性は,欠陥のないクラッチピストンに繰返し荷重を作用させる装置を製作し,それを使用して評価されました.その結果,試作品は従来のアルミニウム合金から作られた部品より劣っていました.この問題を克服するためには,アルミニウム合金と比較して低剛性であるマグネシウム合金に適した部品形状の設計をする必要があることが判明しました., Based on the experiment result of semi-solid injection molding machine which has the mold clamp force of 20 ton[f] reported previously, the trial model with the mold clamp force of 200 ton[f] was designed and then was manufactured. By using this trial model, the accuracy of the control method of semi-solid temperature zone was verified, and it was checked that a solid phase rate could fabricate at least 30%. As the result of the trial test by same molding conditions, it was clarified that mobility differed by the molten state and the semi-solid one. And it was checked that there were many merits by comparing this new semi-solid injection molding process with the conventional die casting. In order to verify this new process, trial production molding of the clutch piston which was a main part of a car was carried out. At this time, in order to obtain the clutch piston without defect, an experimental design was used. Durability was evaluated using the equipment which allowed repeated load on a clutch piston without a defect. As a result, trial production parts were inferior to the conventional parts made from aluminum alloy. In order to conquer this problem, it turned out that the part shape which was suitable for the Magnesium alloy of low rigidity compared with the aluminum alloy needs to be designed., 抄録に表記の[f]は上つき文字

During an injection molding of composite materials, fiber attrition occurs and the average fiber length is reduced. In order to control the breakage of fibers and degradation of mechanical properties during processing, Flat glass Fiber (FF), that has oval cross-section shape, has been developed to use for glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic (GFRTP). Using FF as reinforcement of GFRTP has advantages as following: (1) Fluidity of FF is better than conventional Normal glass Fiber (NF) with 'circular' cross-section; (2) Fiber breakage during the injection molding process using FF is smaller than that using NF. In this study, the mechanical properties of FF and NF were compared for reinforcement of long fiber thermoplastics pellets (LFT pellets). We have also investigated the effect of screw design on fiber damage and the mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of specimens molded by FF reinforcement LFT (FF-LFT) pellets were superior to these of NF reinforcement LFT (NF-LFT) pellets. The former could give composites with higher fluidity and longer residual fiber length. Moreover, FF was able to strengthen injection-molded samples with higher fiber content than NF. Low shear type screw was effective to prevent the fiber attrition during plasticization process, hence leads to better mechanical properties of GFRTP

In this study, the closing behavior of internal voids was examined by a deformation analysis involving the 2-D finite element method (FEM), which simulates voids in steel ingots in the compression process (upset process). In the compression process, a model experiment that uses internal voids was carried out to confirm the accuracy of the deformation analysis. By comparing the model experiment with the analytical results, it was confirmed to simulate the internal void behavior by this analysis. The relationship between the reduction ratio and the void shape/void position was investigated by the analysis. In the forging process, the closing evaluation value of internal voids ( Q value) was calculated by a model experiment and 3-D FEM. Using the analysis results, a limit value of the closing behavior of voids was quantified, and it is now understood that the voids close at more than Q = 0.21. In addition, the forging process of filling the above-mentioned value was designed by the Taguchi method. The predicted Q value in the case of using the Taguchi method almost corresponds to the value calculated by the deformation analysis. It was clarified that the process is capable of being designed simply.

We propose a new method for background modeling based on combination of multiple models. Our method consists of three complementary approaches. The first one, or the pixel-level background modeling, uses the probability density function to approximate background model, where the PDF is estimated non-parametrically by using Parzen density estimation. Then the pixel-level background modeling can adapt periodical changes of pixel values. The region-level background modeling is based on the evaluation of local texture around each pixel, which can reduce the effects of variations in lighting. It can adapt gradual change of pixel value. The frame-level background modeling detects sudden and global changes of the image brightness and estimates a present background image from input image referring to a model background image, and foreground objects can be extracted by background subtraction. In our proposed method, integrating these approaches realizes robust object detection under varying illumination, whose effectiveness is shown in several experiments.

To accurately evaluate pollutant load in high-flow conditions in rivers without measured water quality, we present a new rating curve for pollutant loads (L=aQb , b: coefficient) in which non-dimensional discharge Q and pollutant load L are introduced. The present method adopts correlation between the coefficient b in the rating curve and land use in watersheds. We apply the present method to evaluate the coefficient b and pollutant loads in several types of rivers. The results indicate that the pollutant load evaluated by the present method are acceptable agreements with observed data, showing the fundamental performance of the present method to evaluate pollutant load in flooding conditions in rivers without measured data of water quality.

To develop novel therapeutic and diagnostic methods for esophageal cancer, it is important to understand the precise biological mechanism. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) seem to be crucial factors in diverse regulation pathways. In this study, we analyzed the expression of mature miRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The expression of 73 miRNAs was quantified by qRT-PCR in 30 primary ESCC specimens. We examined the correlation between miRNA expressions and the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of ESCC. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the high expression levels of 6 of the 72 miRNAs correlated with significantly lower patient survival rates. The overexpression of miR-129 was identified as a significant and independent prognostic factor (P = 0.031) in surgically treated ESCC patients. The hazard ratio for the prediction of early death was 18.11 for high versus low expression levels of miR-129. Similar results were obtained from an analysis performed on an additional 19 patients (test cohort) (P = 0.0057, for training cohort; P = 0.011, for test cohort; log-rank test). This experiment supports the notion that the high miR-129 expression levels, as observed in this study, might play a important role in the development of esophageal cancer.

This biographical note pays a small tribute to Robert Naquet, one of the pillars of French epileptology together with Henri Gastaut, his mentor. It can be said that the Marseilles school of epilepsy left an indelible mark in the neurological sciences and that there is no epileptologist, in France and abroad, who was not influenced by the teachings of these two gentlemen. It is practically impossible to separate the scientific achievements of Robert Naquet from his multiple facets as a humanist, artist, and teacher. His warm personality and legendary modesty may serve as an example for future generations of neuroscientists.