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Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pta6605) is a causal agent of wildfire disease in host tobacco plants and is highly motile. Pta6605 has multiple clusters of chemotaxis genes including cheA, a gene encoding a histidine kinase, cheY, a gene encoding a response regulator, mcp, a gene for a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein, as well as flagellar and pili biogenesis genes. However, only two major chemotaxis gene clusters, cluster I and cluster II, possess cheA and cheY. Deletion mutants of cheA or cheY were constructed to evaluate their possible role in Pta6605 chemotaxis and virulence. Motility tests and a chemotaxis assay to known attractant demonstrated that cheA2 and cheY2 mutants were unable to swarm and to perform chemotaxis, whereas cheA1 and cheY1 mutants retained chemotaxis ability almost equal to that of the wild-type (WT) strain. Although WT and cheY1 mutants of Pta6605 caused severe disease symptoms on host tobacco leaves, the cheA2 and cheY2 mutants did not, and symptom development with cheA1 depended on the inoculation method. These results indicate that chemotaxis genes located in cluster II are required for optimal chemotaxis and host plant infection by Pta6605 and that cluster I may partially contribute to these phenotypes.

Background COVID-19 has a direct impact on the employment of older people. This adds to the challenge of ageism. The World Health Organization has started a worldwide campaign to combat ageism and has called for more research and evidence-based strategies that have the potential to be scaled up. This study specifically aims to identify solutions to combat the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the global ageing workforce. Methods We present 15 case studies from different countries and report on what those countries are doing or not doing to address the impact of COVID-19 on ageing workers. Results We provide examples of how COVID-19 influences older people’s ability to work and stay healthy, and offer case studies of what governments, organizations or individuals can do to help ensure older people can obtain, maintain and, potentially, expand their current work. Case studies come from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Across the countries, the impact of COVID-19 on older workers is shown as widening inequalities. A particular challenge has arisen because of a large proportion of older people, often with limited education and working in the informal sector within rural areas, e.g. in Nigeria, Thailand and China. Remedies to the particular disadvantage experienced by older workers in the context of COVID are presented. These range from funding support to encouraging business continuity, innovative product and service developments, community action, new business models and localized, national and international actions. The case studies can be seen as frequently fitting within strategies that have been proven to work in reducing ageism within the workplace. They include policy and laws that have increased benefits to workers during lockdowns (most countries); educational activities such as coaching seniorpreneurship (e,g, Australia); intergenerational contact interventions such as younger Thai people who moved back to rural areas and sharing their digital knowledge with older people and where older people reciprocate by teaching the younger people farming knowledge. Conclusion Global sharing of this knowledge among international, national and local governments and organizations, businesses, policy makers and health and human resources experts will further understanding of the issues that are faced by older workers. This will facilitate the replication or scalability of solutions as called for in the WHO call to combat ageism in 2021. We suggest that policy makers, business owners, researchers and international organisations build on the case studies by investing in evidence-based strategies to create inclusive workplaces. Such action will thus help to challenge ageism, reduce inequity, improve business continuity and add to the quality of life of older workers.

The authors developed a high-throughput method for analyzing softwood lignin using tetra-n-butylphosphonium hydroxide (TBPH). Wood meal, TBPH, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were introduced into a screw-capped glass test tube and allowed to react in a pressure cooker at 121 °C for 3 h to solubilize the wood meal. The solubilized polysaccharide was precipitated by the addition of a poor solvent such as methanol. After removal of the polysaccharide, the lignin concentration was measured via ultra-violet (UV) absorption spectroscopy. The series of operations performed was summarized as the TBPH method. The TBPH method was characterized as a simple and rapid procedure that used common equipment and was suitable for multiple-sample analysis. Softwood sample groups were prepared, and the lignin contents of these samples were measured by the TBPH method, the Klason method, and the acetyl bromide method to determine the accuracy of the proposed method. The TBPH method showed a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.94) when compared to the Klason method. By contrast, the acetyl bromide method showed a comparatively low correlation (R2 = 0.71) with the Klason method. This study revealed that the TBPH method presented high-throughput rapid analysis and good accuracy for soft wood lignin analysis.

The patient was a 67-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The administration of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, ipragliflozin improved her liver dysfunction clinically and histologically. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ferritin levels decreased to normal limits after treatment for four months. Type IV collagen and hyaluronic acid, both of which were serum fibrotic markers, decreased after treatment. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a decrease in the fat deposits in her liver. Her liver sample showed marked improvement, especially in steatosis, inflammation, and ballooning. The SGLT2 inhibitor ipragliflozin may be useful as a specific therapeutic drug for NASH.

Cholecystoduodenal fistula secondary to gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is extremely rare and develops when the tumor penetrates into the adjacent duodenum. A porcelain gallbladder is also a very rare entity that involves the calcification of the gallbladder wall and can be associated with the development of GBC. Herein, we report an unusual case of a patient with cholecystoduodenal fistula, which has been caused by aggressive mucinous gallbladder carcinoma with a porcelain gallbladder. A 68-year-old man was referred to our department due to significant accumulation near the neck of the gallbladder detected by FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), which was performed as a check-up of postpneumonectomy for lung cancer. Abdominal contrast CT and magnetic resonance imaging revealed porcelain-like circumferential calcification of the gallbladder wall and a mass in the region detected by FDG PET/CT. Furthermore, upper endoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor with apical ulceration in the posterior wall of the duodenal bulb. Histopathological examination of its biopsy specimen rendered a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. The patient was preoperatively diagnosed with either gallbladder cancer or duodenal cancer, and subtotal stomach-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy and radical cholecystectomy with gallbladder bed resection were performed. The resected gallbladder revealed a porcelain gallbladder, which formed the cholecystoduodenal fistula. These specimens were histopathologically diagnosed as mucinous adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder with an abundant mucin production.

Dissolution of several kinds of woods was examined in tetra-n-butylphosphonium hydroxide ([P4,4,4,4]OH) aqueous solution. Since there is a strong correlation between the dissolution degrees and the Klason lignin contents of the wood, lignin degradation and removal were found to be necessary for efficient dissolution of several woods such as cedar. It was found that moderate heating (60 °C) and addition of H2O2 aqueous solution to 50% [P4,4,4,4]OH aqueous solution are quite effective to dissolve wood. Cedar powder (final concentration of 5.0 wt%) was almost completely dissolved in this aqueous solution at 60 °C under mild stirring for 24 h. This efficient wood dissolution was caused by partial degradation of lignin.

The purpose of antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is generally to achieve a decrease and ultimately disappearance of HBs antigen (HBsAg). Interferon (IFN) therapy of CHB appears to be less effective in Asian countries than in European countries, and the advantage of IFN and nucleotide(s) analog (NA) combination therapy has yet to be fully investigated. The present study focused on the factors associated with a decrease in HBs antigen following IFN monotherapy or IFN + NA combination therapy. A total of 35 patients with CHB who received IFN-based therapy (mean ± standard deviation age 36.7±8.5 years; 27 males and 8 females) were enrolled in this study. Of the 35 patients, 21 patients received pegylated IFN monotherapy and 14 patients received IFN and adefovir (ADV) combination therapy. We examined the factors associated with reductions in the HBsAg titer of >1.0 log IU/ml from the initial HBsAg titer to the end of treatment and to 24 weeks after treatment. Although 13 patients (37%) had a reduction in HBsAg of >1.0 IU/ml at the end of treatment, it was only maintained to 24 weeks after treatment in 7 patients (20%). The HBV core-related antigen (HBcrAg) titer before treatment was significantly higher in patients with a decrease in HBsAg at the end of treatment than in patients without a decrease in HBsAg (6.56±0.78 vs. 5.30±1.66 log IU/ml, P2 times from baseline occurred significantly more frequently in patients with a decrease in HBsAg (62 vs. 14%, P

The wood dissolution properties of tetra-n-butylphosphonium hydroxide ([P4,4,4,4]OH) were investigated. Cedar wood meal was treated with several concentrations of aqueous (aq.) [P4,4,4,4]OH with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a glass tube at 121 °C. The solution of 60% aq. [P4,4,4,4]OH with H2O2 at 121 °C showed the best dissolution capability for woody biomass with a high dissolution rate of 0.152 g min-1. Under this condition, 98.5% of the woody biomass, including both lignin and holocellulose, was dissolved after 3 h of treatment. The molecular weight distribution of lignin in the soluble fraction of the [P4,4,4,4]OH mixtures was determined via size exclusion chromatography, and its weight-average molecular weight decreased from approximately 7500 g/mole after 0.5 h to 2 h of treatment to 5700 g/mole after 3 h and 2500 g/mole after 5 h of treatment. Lower molecular weight components were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and vanillin and vanillic acid were identified. The dissolved cellulose was precipitated, and its polymerization degree decreased significantly after 0.5 h of treatment compared to that of the original cellulose.

Despite the success of immune checkpoint therapy, most non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients still receive conventional chemotherapy. Overcoming chemotherapy resistance by identifying specific targets should improve cancer treatment and patient survival. In this study, we examined a prospective chemotherapy-resistant subpopulation in NCI-H1975 NSCLC cells and identified a novel target, neurosecretory protein VGF (VGF). Using flow cytometry, we first analyzed the expression profile of cancer stem cell markers in 100 cancer cell lines and found that NCI-H1975 cells could be divided into three subpopulations, CD44-low (CD44-L), CD44-middle (CD44-M) and CD44-high cells based on the expression pattern of CD44. CD44-M cells account for less than 5% of the NCI-H1975 cells under normal conditions, but only this subpopulation can proliferate in vitro and in vivo after treatment with cytotoxic agents, such as paclitaxel, pemetrexed and 5-fluorouracil. Affymetrix microarray analysis revealed that VGF is specifically expressed in CD44-M cells and we hypothesized that VGF would play a critical role in chemotherapy resistance. We next employed patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of NSCLC to confirm this hypothesis with human clinical samples. NOD/SCID mice were subcutaneously transplanted with PDX and treated with either vehicle or paclitaxel (12 mg/kg, Q3Dx3, i.v.). VGF immunohistochemistry on resected PDX revealed that the number of VGF-expressing cells increased 5.6-fold in the paclitaxel-treated group compared to the vehicle control. We also performed VGF immunohistochemistry on NSCLC surgical specimens which were obtained from 127 patients, consisting of 42 neoadjuvant chemotherapy treated cases and 85 non-treated cases. The frequency of VGF-expressing specimens was higher in neoadjuvant chemotherapy treated cases (50%) than non-treated cases (18%). These results suggest that VGF-expressing tumor subpopulation is paclitaxel-resistant even in clinical settings. We also analyzed the molecular functions of VGF. Knockdown of VGF expression by siRNAs could signifıcantly suppress paclitaxel resistance in CD44-M cells. On the other hand, overexpression of VGF could significantly induce paclitaxel resistance in CD44-L cells. These results suggest that VGF is functionally responsible for chemotherapy resistance in NSCLC patients and combined administration of an anti-VGF drug and chemotherapy could be effective for preventing cancer recurrence and prolonging cancer free survival. Citation Format: Wataru Nogami, Yumi Tona, Soichi Tofukuji, Yoshino Ishioka, Mitsunobu Matsumoto, Hajime Yamada, Kenji Kuwabara, Hidekazu Tanaka, Shigeki Adachi, Yoko Yamamoto, Ryu Kanzaki, Soichiro Funaki, Yasushi Shintani, Meinoshin Okumura, Taisei Nomura. VGF is functionally responsible for chemotherapy resistance in non-small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 372.

The color of wood ash is normally white, but black color ash was observed when seawater-soaked wood was combusted. In order to check the conditions for generation of black ash, we examined both ashing temperatures from 500 to 800 °C and seawater salt densities for wood soaking. As seawater salt densities rose, the ash color got black at ashing temperatures of 500 and 700 °C. The colors of the ash were analyzed by a spectrophotometer, and color space L* a* b* was measured. The L* value and wood ash yield showed a negative correlation when the ashing temperature was at 600 °C. Salt concentration in wood (SC) was practicably estimated from the L* value (R 2 = 0.51) by the approximation formula [SC (%) = 11.82e−0.038L*]. By scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, black ash of 600 °C was fully covered by translucent material. It was composed of Na, Mg and Cl by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, and seemed to be crystallized seawater salt. Washed black ash was also observed by SEM, translucent seawater salt was removed and the wood tissue was observed. Black ash was found to be carbonized wood tissue residue, and it was generated when seawater salt exists with a woody biomass.

For patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), mutations in the non-structural 5A (NS5A) gene are important predictive factors for the response to interferon (IFN) therapy. In the present study, factor analysis of the therapeutic response of patients following pegylated IFN and ribavirin combination therapy was assessed in a multicenter study. Chronic HCV-infected patients with genotype 1b and high viral load (n=96, mean age 56.5 years; 59 males, 68 females) treated with pegylated IFN-α-2b and ribavirin combination therapy were enrolled. This study was conducted at Kobe University Hospital and 25 affiliated hospitals in Hyogo prefecture. Sixty-five patients (68%) completed treatment with both pegylated IFN and ribavirin at >80% of the weight-based scheduled dosages. Patients who reduced or terminated therapy were frequently aged women (mean age 60.8 years; 11 males, 17 females). Overall, a sustained viral response (SVR) was achieved in 42 (44%) patients out of 96. Based on per-protocol-based (PPB) analysis, the SVR rate in patients with ≥6 amino acid (aa) mutations in the IFN resistance-determining region (IRRDR) (75%) or ≥1 aa mutation in the IFN sensitivity-determining region (ISDR) (61%) was significantly higher than that in patients with

Lusutrombopag (S-888711), an oral small-molecule thrombopoietin receptor (TPOR) agonist, has gained first approval as a drug to treat thrombocytopenia of chronic liver disease in patients undergoing elective invasive procedures in Japan. Preclinical studies were performed to evaluate its efficacy against megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis. To investigate the proliferative activity and efficacy of megakaryocytic colony formation via human TPOR, lusutrombopag was applied to cultured human c-Mpl-expressing Ba/F3 (Ba/F3-hMpl) cells and human bone marrow-derived CD34-positive cells, respectively. Lusutrombopag caused a robust increase in Ba/F3-hMpl cells by activating pathways in a manner similar to that of thrombopoietin and induced colony-forming units-megakaryocyte and polyploid megakaryocytes in human CD34-positive cells. Because lusutrombopag has high species specificity for human TPOR, there was no suitable experimental animal model for drug evaluation, except for immunodeficient mouse-based xenograft models. Therefore, a novel genetically modified knock-in mouse, TPOR-Ki/Shi, was developed by replacing mouse Mpl with human-mouse chimera Mpl. In TPOR-Ki/Shi mice, lusutrombopag significantly increased circulating platelets in a dose-dependent manner during 21-day repeated oral administration. Histopathological study of the TPOR-Ki/Shi mice on day 22 also revealed a significant increase in megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. These results indicate that lusutrombopag acts on human TPOR to upregulate differentiation and proliferation of megakaryocytic cells, leading to platelet production.

This paper deals with the in vitro evaluation of a newly developed linear motor-driven total artificial heart (linear TAH). The linear TAHs have been developed and evaluated in mock testing and acute animal experiments. The new linear TAH was made based on experience with acute animal experiments. The maximum static thrust of the new linear pulse motor is 146 N with exciting current of 1.69 A. The weight and the volume of this linear TAH are 1.9 kg and 560 ml, respectively. The linear TAH has a kinetic thrust of 85 to 43 N and provides the maximum flow rate of 6.8 L/min in mock circulatory testing.

This article describes the composition of the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) system, which uses a linear pulse motor, that is, the linear type of IABP, and the results of the mock test that was performed. The expansion time is 100–110 ms, and the contraction time is 85–95 ms at the balloon of the linear type IABP. This level is similar to that of the IABP system used in the market. When the speed of the mover is 0.3 m/s, the necessary thrust of the linear pulse motor to drive the balloon of the IABP is 200 N. The conversion efficiency from the bellows to the balloon is 5.6%, and the efficiency of the entire linear type IABP system is 0.6%. The volume of the entire system is 45 L, and the mass is 40 kg excluding the chassis. Therefore, there is an expectation that the IABP system can be miniaturized to about half of the conventional model.

Background Thrombocytopenia is a common problem in the management of patients with cancer and other conditions that affect hematopoietic cells. In previous clinical trials, the polyethylene-glycol-conjugated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor increased platelet counts in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy. However, antibodies to polyethylene-glycol-conjugated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor develop in healthy volunteers and patients undergoing chemotherapy and cross-react with endogenous thrombopoietin. As a result, clinical development of polyethylene-glycol-conjugated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor was discontinued in 1998. The aim of this study was to identify an orally bioavailable human Mpl activator that does not develop autoantibodies against endogenous thrombopoietin.Design and Methods We screened our chemical library and created a novel non-peptidyl thrombopoietin receptor, Mpl activator named butyzamide. We evaluated the effect of butyzamide on megakaryopoiesis in vitro using Ba/F3 cells expressing Mpl and human hematopoietic stem cells. For the evaluation of its in vivo effect, we administered butyzamide orally to immunodeficient NOD/Shi-scid,IL-2Rγnull (NOG) mice transplanted with human fetal liver-derived CD34+ cells and investigated the production of human platelets.Results Butyzamide specifically reacted with human Mpl and activated the same signal transduction pathway as thrombopoietin. However, unlike thrombopoietin, butyzamide did not react with murine Mpl and was shown to require the histidine residue in the transmembrane domain of Mpl for its agonistic activity. Butyzamide induced colony-forming unit-megakaryocytes and polyploid megakaryocytes from human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells, and its effects were comparable to those of thrombopoietin. When butyzamide was administered orally at the doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg for 20 days to NOG mice transplanted with human fetal liver-derived CD34+ cells, the human platelet count increased by 6.2- and 22.9-fold, respectively.Conclusions Butyzamide is an orally bioavailable human Mpl activator, and appears to have potential for clinical development as a therapeutic agent for patients with thrombocytopenia.

In solid waste combustion, adhesion of ash on the surface of super heaters causes heater corrosion so that the efficiency of electric power generation is limited by the operation temperature avoiding such troubles. Ash adhesion is caused by the formation of a liquid phase with a relatively low melting point. In order to control ash adhesion, three types of coarse inorganic particles having different chemical compositions were selected and mixed with waste combustion ash. These coarse particles are stable and inert at temperatures as high as combustor operation temperatures and expected to reduce the cohesiveness of ash particles. The properties of ash particles with and without coarse particles were characterized by the powder bed tensile test. The tensile strength of an ash powder bed at high temperature was able to be controlled by the addition of the coarse inorganic particles and depended on the chemical composition of the coarse-particles.

We improved both the thickness uniformity and crystallinity of Aluminum nitride (AlN) films deposited by off-axis sputtering. The results in thickness uniformity and X-ray rocking curve full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of AlN (0 0 0 2) are achieved to be ±0.2% and 1.4°, respectively on a 100 mm Si (1 0 0) substrate. The residual stress can be controlled from tensile to compressive by varying sputtering parameters such as gas pressure, RF power and DC bias voltage applied to a substrate without degradation in the crystallinity and thickness uniformity.

We have improved electrical characteristics of a film bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator that features the injection of H 2 O gas into a process chamber. The preferred crystallinity of piezoelectric ZnO film was obtained by RF sputtering at a high H 2 O partial pressure 1.5×10 −4 Pa. The effective electromechanical coupling coefficient ( k t eff 2 ) of the BAW resonator remarkably goes up from 1.8% to 4.7% for which the corresponding H 2 O partial pressures are 2.7×10 −5 and 1.5×10 −4 Pa. Injection of H 2 O during the deposition process contributes to the improvement of crystallinity of ZnO thin film and the electrical characteristics of the BAW resonator.

A tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) derivative having two N-(3-ammoniopropyl)carbamoyl pendant units has been prepared and reacted with cis-PtCl2(DMSO)2 (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide) to give a heteronuclear Ru(II)Pt(II) dimer having a cis-Pt(II)Cl2(aliphatic amine)2 unit, [Ru(bpy)2(mu-bridge)PtCl2](PF6)2 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, bridge = 4,4'-bis(N-(3-aminopropyl)carbamoyl)-2,2'-bipyridine). The ESI-TOF mass spectrum of the Ru(II)Pt(II) dimer shows a set of signals corresponding to {[Ru(bpy)2(mu-bridge)PtCl2](PF6)}(+) (m/z 1181.1). The MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) luminescence intensity is enhanced upon the platination of two amine units, presumably due to the formation of a relatively rigid metallocycle. More interestingly, the luminescence intensity is further enhanced by the complexation of the Ru(II)Pt(II) dimer with either 5'-GMP (guanosine 5'-monophosphate disodium salt) or calf thymus DNA. Visible-light-induced scission of supercoiled pBR322 DNA is found to be efficiently enhanced in the presence of the title Ru(II)Pt(II) dimer.

Hexahydro-1-(isoquinoline-5-sulfonyl)-1H-1,4-diazepine, HA-1077, is a known selective inhibitor of Rho-kinase. Although its IC(50) value against Rho-kinase is more than 10 times lower than those for kinases such as PKA, PKB, PKC, PKG, MLCK, CaMKII and others, the molecule still retains relative potent inhibition activities against these kinases. In order to produce highly specific Rho-kinase inhibitors, several HA-1077 analogs were synthesized and their kinase inhibition properties evaluated. (S)-Hexahydro-1-(4-ethenylisoquinoline-5-sulfonyl)-2-methyl-1H-1,4-diazepine was found to be a potent Rho-kinase inhibitor. The IC50 value against Rho-kinase was 6 nM, while those against other kinases remained at almost the same level as that of HA-1077. Furthermore, we designed HA-1077 analogs on the basis of the complex structure of PKA and HA-1077. Amongst these, (S)-hexahydro-4-glycyl-2-methyl-1-(4-methylisoquinoline-5-sulfonyl)-1H-1,4-diazepine and other glycine derivatives were found to be highly specific Rho-kinase inhibitors. These Rho-kinase specific inhibitors were applied to rabbit ocular hypertensive models and were shown to reduce intraocular pressure. These results demonstrate that the new 5-isoquinolinesulfonylamides are not only potent ROCK selective compounds, but are also useful compounds for clinical applications.

The output voltage of an eddy current displacement sensor depends on the quality factor Q = ωL/R of the coil. Therefore, impedance analysis of the coil is important for output voltage analysis. Theoretical analysis of coils has been performed by C. V. Dodd, A. Reatti, and others. However, the quality factor of a coil cannot be calculated by using their theory. This paper presents theoretical, numerical, and experimental analyses of a coil for an eddy current displacement sensor. The impedance characteristics are analyzed by combining three theories: Dodd's theory, Reatti's theory, and the finite element method (FEM). As a result, the calculated value of the quality factor using the technique of complementing Dodd's theory with FEM is found to be accurate within seven percent. This technique is effective from the viewpoints of calculation time and accuracy. The calculation times of the three methods are also discussed in this paper.

This paper deals with the velocity dependency of an eddy current sensor for measuring the rail joint gap using two air coils for ordinary railways. The sensor is able to detect the flux change due to the eddy current between the sensor and the rail. It is demonstrated that the sensor does not depend on the velocity in conditions where the exciting frequency is more than 50 kHz. The key points of this paper are as follows: (1) the principle of the measurement using a rail joint gap sensor composed of a detecting coil under an exciting coil; (2) the velocity dependency of the output voltage on a non-joint gap turn disk with an exciting frequency between 500 Hz and 1 MHz, and a velocity between 0.65 and 50 m/s (2.34 and 180 km/h); (3) the velocity dependency of the output voltage on a turn disk using two imitated joint gaps.

Crystallinity of ZnO thin film for film bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator has been successfully improved by using Pt/Al bottom electrode. The lattice mismatch of ZnO c -plane and Pt (1 1 1) plane is as small as 1.4% so that we could obtain good crystallinity ZnO film on Pt surface. The effective electromechanical coupling coefficient ( kt eff 2 ) of the BAW resonator that we fabricated with Al/ZnO/Pt/Al/SiO 2 structure is 5.6%. It is larger than that of Al/ZnO/Al/SiO 2 structure BAW resonator, whose value is 4.9%. The kt eff 2 is improved by using the Pt/Al bottom electrode without decreasing the quality factor. The kt eff 2 of BAW resonator strongly depends on the crystallinity of ZnO film. Using Pt buffer layer to protect Al electrode from its oxidation is very effective to improve the crystallinity of ZnO film and the kt eff 2 of BAW resonator.

Current–voltage properties along the c -axis of high-resistive Ni-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film were examined. Zinc oxide thin film capacitor with Al/Ti top and bottom electrodes was fabricated on SiO 2 /Si substrate. Current saturation due to acoustoelectric effect in piezoelectric ZnO thin film was observed. The current saturation indicates that the drift velocity of electron reaches the sound velocity of ZnO and the electron mobility of ZnO along the c -axis was estimated to be 1–3 cm 2 V −1 s −1 . The electric field where the current saturates depended on the direction of the applied field and the internal residual stress in ZnO thin film, which indicate that the polarity of ZnO thin film deposited on Al/Ti is negative.

Gastrin has the ability to stimulate cell growth in some colorectal cancer cells and some of these cells also express gastrin/CCKB receptors, suggesting that gastrin and its autocrine loop are involved in their proliferation. We previously reported that oncogenic ras induced gastrin gene expression in colon cancer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether oncogenic ras also induces gastrin/CCKB receptor gene expression. A transiently transfected activated ras vector stimulated gastrin/CCKB receptor transcriptional activities in both Colo320HSR and LoVo cells, but these ras-increased activities were inhibited by a specific MEK inhibitor, PD98059. An RPA demonstrated that activated ras increased endogenous gastrin/CCKB receptor mRNA levels and PD98059 decreased them in LoVo cells. These findings suggest that oncogenic ras induces gastrin/CCKB receptor gene expression through some intracellular signaling pathways, including MEK, in colon cancer cell lines.

Change in tensile strength of a biomass ash powder bed measured by a split-cell type tester at a variety of temperatures up to 900°C was discussed corresponding to the microscopic behavior of ash particles observed by a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with a computer-controlled stage, a heat treatment chamber and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Tensile strength of a biomass powder bed increased with temperature by two different steps. In temperatures ranging from400 to 700°C, the powder bed had liquid-phase bridging between particles, which caused the relatively large fracture distance in fracture curves. FE-SEM observation showing rounded ash particles after heat treatment at 500°C supported this phenomena. On the other hand, at temperatures higher than 700°C, powder beds showed brittle fracture, which means the absence of any liquid bridge due to evaporation. FE-SEM observation revealed successive evaporation from ash samples in this temperature region.

The effective electromechanical coupling coefficient has been studied for thin film bulk acoustic wave resonators (TBARs) with fundamental frequencies between 200 and 400 MHz. An increase in the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient ( kt TBAR 2 ) is observed with the increase in the ZnO thickness ratio: thickness of ZnO thin film and that of TBAR. In case where the ZnO thickness ratio is >70%, kt TBAR 2 becomes a constant of 3.4%. The discrepancy between the experimental and the calculated kt TBAR 2 is remarkable when the membrane of the TBAR warps. It was found that the ZnO thickness ratio is a very important parameter for adjusting the TBAR characteristics to each application.

This paper deals with arail joint gap sensor having two detecting coils across to the exciting coil. The sensor, designed for ordinary railways, is able to detect flux change due to eddy current in the rail. The key points of this paper are as follows: (1) principle of measurement by the rail joint gap sensor with two detecting coils across to the exciting coil, (2) rail joint gap sensor use of resonance, (3) and the possibility of rail joint gap measurements for track inspection car with in high lift-off.

AIM To assess the clinical characteristics of patients with complicated erosive esophagitis (EE) and their associated factors. METHODS This prospective, cross-sectional study included patients diagnosed with EE by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between October 2014 and March 2015 at 106 Japanese hospitals. Data on medical history, general condition, gastrointestinal symptoms, lifestyle habits, comorbidities, and endoscopic findings were collected using a standard form to create a dedicated database. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95%CI for the association with complicated EE. RESULTS During the study period, 1749 patients diagnosed with EE, 38.3% of whom were prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were included. Of them, 143 (8.2%) had EE complications. Esophageal bleeding occurred in 84 (4.8%) patients, esophageal strictures in 45 (2.6%) patients, and 14 (0.8%) patients experienced both. Multivariate analysis showed that increased age (aOR: 1.05; 95%CI: 1.03-1.08), concomitant use of psychotropic agents (aOR: 6.51; 95%CI: 3.01-13.61), and Los Angeles grades B (aOR: 2.69; 95%CI: 1.48-4.96), C (aOR: 15.38; 95%CI: 8.62-28.37), and D (aOR: 71.49; 95%CI: 37.47-142.01) were significantly associated with complications, whereas alcohol consumption 2-4 d/wk was negatively associated (aOR: 0.23; 95%CI: 0.06-0.61). Analyzing associated factors with each EE complication separately showed esophageal ulcer bleeding were associated with increased age (aOR: 1.05; 95%CI: 1.02-1.07) and Los Angeles grades B (aOR: 3.60; 95%CI: 1.52-8.50), C (aOR: 27.61; 95%CI: 12.34-61.80), and D (aOR: 119.09; 95%CI: 51.15-277.29), while esophageal strictures were associated with increased age (aOR: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.04-1.10), gastroesophageal reflux symptom (aOR: 2.51; 95%CI: 1.39-4.51), concomitant use of psychotropic agents (aOR: 11.79; 95%CI: 5.06-27.48), Los Angeles grades C (aOR: 7.35; 95%CI: 3.32-16.25), and D (aOR: 20.34; 95%CI: 8.36-49.53) and long-segment Barrett’s esophagus (aOR: 4.63; 95%CI: 1.64-13.05). CONCLUSION Aging and severe EE were common associated factors, although there were more associated factors in esophageal strictures than esophageal ulcer bleeding. Despite the availability and widespread use of PPIs, EE complications are likely to remain a problem in Japan owing to the aging population and high-stress society.

This paper describes the efficiency characteristics of a cylindrical moving-coil-type linear dc motor (LDM) for compressor. Another linear motor is used as the load, and the load current, I L , from ac power source is supplied to the load linear motor directly. The efficiency characteristics of the LDM for varying phase angle, 0, of the load current, I L , from the exciting current, I, is measured. Obtained results are as follows. (1) The efficiency, η, increases with decreasing phase angle, θ. At the load current, I L = 0.82 A, maximum efficiency is 55%. (2) The amplitude, x m , of the displacement becomes minimum value at the phase angle, 0 = 180°. At the load current, I L , of 0.82 A, amplitude, x m , is 3.0 mm. There is a decrease in the amplitude, F Lm , of the load with decreasing phase angle, 0, but the efficiency, η, increases because the phase angle, y + δ, between the displacement and load approaches 90°.