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The discharged state affects the charge transfer resistance of lithium-ion secondary batteries (LIBs), which is referred to as the depth of discharge (DOD). To understand the intrinsic charge/discharge property of LIBs, the DOD-dependent charge transfer resistance at the solid-liquid interface is required. However, in a general composite electrode, the conductive additive and organic polymeric binder are unevenly distributed, resulting in a complicated electron conduction/ion conduction path. As a result, estimating the DOD-dependent rate-determining factor of LIBs is difficult. In contrast, in micro/nanoscale electrochemical measurements, the primary or secondary particle is evaluated without using a conductive additive and providing an ideal mass transport condition. To control the DOD state of a single LiFePO4 active material and evaluate the DOD-dependent charge transfer kinetic parameters, we use scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), which uses a micropipette to form an electrochemical cell on a sample surface. The difference in charge transfer resistance at the solid-liquid interface depending on the DOD state and electrolyte solution could be confirmed using SECCM.

There is an abundance of woody biomass in Japan. However, its economic feasibility is limited. There have been several discussions on whether generation of heat or electrical power is more suitable for woody biomass. In this study, we clarified the feasibility of generating heat and electricity from the viewpoint of biomass unit price and biomass productivity based on actual operation data for the first time. It was determined that heat production is feasible for a small-scale biomass energy use of 2,660 t/year or more. Electrical power generation is feasible only for a large-scale biomass energy use of 13,100 t/year or more, but it allows use of woody biomass with a higher unit price.

Tar is an undesirable product of biomass gasification. Tar analysis is a challenging task because it is a complex mixture. The objectives of this study are to identify and quantify the major tar compounds in raw producer gas and deposits from a 10 kW downdraft gasifier using cedar pellets. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the 16 tar samples from raw producer gas under varying airflow rates and four tar samples from the deposit inside the suction pump after long-term operation. The results showed that tar in raw producer gas and tar deposits consisted of about 46 and 28 major chemical compounds, respectively. Tar in raw producer gas was found to contain three main groups of substances, including acids/ketones with 32.1 wt%, heterocyclics with 30.0 wt%, and light poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (light PAHs) with 31.8 wt%. Heterocyclic and light PAH compounds dominated in tar deposits and accounted for 58.6 wt% and 36.2 wt%, respectively. It was observed that the tar condensation problem was dominated by the components and the molecular weight of tar compositions instead of the tar concentration. These findings are useful for optimizing the gasification process and developing the gas cleaning system for a small downdraft gasifier.

The discharged state affects the charge transfer resistance of lithium-ion secondary batteries (LIBs), which is referred to as the depth of discharge (DOD). To understand the intrinsic charge/discharge property of LIBs, the DOD-dependent charge transfer resistance at the solid-liquid interface is required. However, in a general composite electrode, the conductive additive and organic polymeric binder are unevenly distributed, resulting in a complicated electron conduction/ion conduction path. As a result, estimating the DOD-dependent rate-determining factor of LIBs is difficult. In contrast, in micro/nanoscale electrochemical measurements, the primary or secondary particle is evaluated without using a conductive additive and providing an ideal mass transport condition. To control the DOD state of a single LiFePO

Utilizing bio-ethanol fuel in the internal combustion engine is recently developed for high performance combustion and emission reduction. The effect of electromagnetic heating on the ethanol droplets structure and distribution is the main focus of this analysis. An increasing temperature of the fuel can offer a potential solution for finer atomization and faster evaporation of droplets. The electromagnetic energy was used to heat the ethanol fuel before injected. Electromagnetic heating was generated by the magnetron of microwave and guided to the small chamber inside the LMI injector where the fuel pass-through. LMI is stand for Local-contact Microwave-heating Injector and developed in Combustion Laboratory of Kanazawa University Japan for cold start engine. The images of fuel injected from the LMI injector was visualized using a high-speed camera with halide back-light system. Laser scattering from He–Ne was used as an illuminating system for high-quality image purposes. An investigation on the droplet size and velocity distribution was analyzed using image processing software. The results of the analysis show that droplet fuel atomized finely and moved rapidly during heated by electromagnetic energy.

This study examined the tar characteristic of wood pellet using a downdraft gasifier system. The wood pellet was used as a feedstock with a variation of moisture content between 2 to 6 wt. %. Tar sample was taken using the JP 2009-40885 method. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gravimetric analysis were used to identify and to analyze the tar sample, respectively. The results show that an increase in moisture content slightly decreased the total concentration of tar formation on the nine tar compounds of the biomass. Additionally, the lowest moisture content produced the highest amount of light tar on tar classification. The amount of light tar indicates the ease of ignition in the gasifier. Therefore, this condition will minimize the failure-of-equipment problem because of no clogs in the gasifier equipment. The lowest moisture content had the lowest tar density, and this minimized the deposit of tar in the gasifier. Therefore, the lowest moisture content had low tar production in the biomass gasification process using wood pellets.

The structural beams with a uniform cross section of hat-shape were manufactured through a high-cycle compression molding technique, by using randomly oriented chopped thermoplastic composites. The crash tubes were obtained by vibration welding of those two hat-section beams at their flanges. And the axial compressive impact tests were carried out for them. It followed that the compressive failure was progressive crushing caused by the delamination and local buckling of walls and welded flange while the specific energy absorption was so high. The finite element model was constructed to predict the axial progressive crushing and energy absorption. The important key concept for designing the numerical model was to incorporate some hypothetical inter-layers even in randomly oriented composites and assign them with the failure model as cohesive zone elements, which can perform non-linear characteristics with failure criterion. The material parameters for the model tried to be obtained by direct measurement test methods. The reproducibility of the numerical modeling was validated against the results from axial compressive crushing. The progressive damage mode and energy absorption prediction agreed well with the experimental results. It was also clarified that the out-of-plane failure influenced the energy absorption performance of the crash tubes.

Atomization of small fuel droplets using a UV laser is considered experimentally under atmospheric conditions. The droplet diameters in the experiments are 30 µm, 20 µm, and 15 µm. The maximum spatial resolution is 232 nm/pixel. The temporal resolution is 100 ns. The fuels under test are diesel oil (JIS K2204, No. 1), hexadecane (99.5%) and o-Xylene (98%). A Nd:YAG pulse laser operating at 266 nm is used in the experiments. The maximum laser energy is 10 mJ. The laser beam diameter is 5 mm, and the flash time is 7 ns. As a result, the diesel oil droplets of all diameters are atomized using 10 mJ of laser energy. The 15-µm-diameter hexadecane droplets are not atomized. The laser energy threshold for atomization of the 30-µm-diameter o-Xylene droplets is 4.5 mJ, and the calculated laser intensity is 450 J/m2 under the assumption of a Gaussian distribution. The atomization delay time is almost 8 µs. Moisture is observed just before atomization occurs. The moisture indicates that this phenomenon can be explained based on the heat transfer process of the laser energy.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of sequential therapy with monthly intravenous ibandronate on bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructure in patients with primary osteoporosis who received teriparatide treatment. Methods: Sixty-six patients with primary osteoporosis who had undergone teriparatide treatment for more than 12 months (mean 18.6 months) received sequential therapy with 1 mg/month intravenous ibandronate for 12 months. The patients were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative ultrasound, bone turnover markers, and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) at baseline and 6 and 12 months after beginning administration. Results: At 12 months after beginning sequential therapy,the bone resorption marker, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b, decreased by 39.5%, with 82.3% of the patients exhibiting levels within the normal limit. DXA revealed that the BMD of the lumbar spine increased by 3.2%, with 79.0% of the patients exhibiting a response, and 40.3% experiencing an increase in BMD over 5%. HR-pQCT revealed that the cortical thickness of the distal tibia was increased by 2.6%. The cortical area increased by 2.5%, and the buckling ratio (an index of cortical instability) decreased by 2.5%. Most parameters of the trabecular bone showed no significant changes. These changes in the cortical bone were observed in both the distal radius and tibia and appeared beginning 6 months after treatment initiation. Conclusions: Sequential therapy with monthly intravenous ibandronate increased the BMD and improved the cortical bone microstructure of osteoporotic patients who had undergone teriparatide treatment., Bone, 144, art.no.115770; 2020

A bio-syngas, produced from wood biomass gasification, is used with a small reciprocated spark ignition engine for higher thermal efficiency. In this experiment, as the knocking doesn’t occur even though the ignition timing is 70 deg-BTDC (before top dead center), the MBT, most-advanced for best torque ignition timing, couldn’t be determined. This phenomena, without knocking combustion, are reported by several researchers. In this report, the way to determine the ignition timing for the maximum efficiency is shown. With the cylinder pressure measurement, when the maximum heat release rate position is set near TDC, top dead center, the thermal efficiency shows the maximum and the stability shows the best in any hydrogen fraction or any methane fraction of the mixed fuel.Po.

Biomass is sustainable and a source for renewable energy to overcome the limitation of fossil fuel. The research used woody pellet feedstock with 0.79 g/cm3 of bulk density and 6 mm diameter in the syngas production. Therefore, downdraft gasifier reactor with a stainless steel pipe 500 mm length and 120 mm inner diameter produced syngas as producer gas. Reciprocated Internal Combustion Engine (R-ICE) was used to drive the syngas production from biomass gasification process with 1800 rpm ± 20 rpm in constant engine speed. The Indication of Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP) and Excess Air Rate (EAR) were applied as the parameters for analyzing the system. Kawasaki FD750 with single cylinder was implemented to test the effect of syngas instability. Oxidizer and fuel for the engine were mixed in the venture which typed Heinzmann, GM 50 to make homogenous fuel. The laminar flow meter type of Sokken, LFE-25B was adapted to measure the intake air flow rate, and the digital ignition system of Altronic, CD200D was used to control the ignition timing. In conclusion, the synthetic gas (syngas) as the main fuel will not be enough to replicate drive on R-ICE.

A simple technique is tested to improve the contractile effect of a cold plasma jet on acute wounds of mice. Distilled water on the order of microliters is dropped onto wounds before treatment. To assess the fate of the water, an infrared thermal imager is applied. To evaluate the healing effect, macroscopic and immunohistological studies are conducted. Regarding the wound contractile effect, we show that combination treatment of plasma with dropped water seemed to have a greater effect than plasma treatment alone. Plasma may modify the wound surface through such water, chemically and physically. The histological stiffness of the wound surface during maturation and remodeling, however, may also influence the fate of the water during treatment.

We investigated cold plasma effects on acute wounds of mice. The mice were classified into experimental and control groups. In the former, wounds were treated using cold plasma once daily for 1 min, and then covered with hydrocolloid dressing; wounds in the control were left to heal under hydrocolloid dressing. Daily evaluation was conducted for 15 days. General and specific staining was applied to evaluate re-epithelialization, neutrophil, macrophage, myofibroblast and transforming growth factor beta. It was found that cold plasma accelerated wound healing by 1 day. Plasma may promote the late phase of inflammation, accelerate re-epithelialization and increase wound contraction. © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Recent reports have shown the existence of subchondral insufficiency fracture in rapidly destructive arthrosis of the hip joint (RDA), and the findings suggest that osteopenia is related to the pathogenesis of the rapid progression of this disease. Therefore, we measured bone mineral density (BMD) in RDA patients. We measured BMD of the lumbar spine, radius, and calcaneus using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 19 patients with RDA and 75 with osteoarthritis of the hip (OA) and compared BMD at different skeletal sites between RDA and OA patients. No significant differences were observed in BMD of the lumbar spine, ultradistal radius, mid-radius, and calcaneous between the RDA and OA groups. Our data suggest that RDA is not accompanied by generalized osteoporosis. Factors other than generalized bone status, for example, BMD around the affected hip joint before destruction, need to be analyzed to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of RDA.

A pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) power generation system is a hydroelectric power system which utilizes permeation flow through a semipermeable membrane. Permeation flow is generated by the potential energy of the salinity difference between sea water and fresh water. Since the cost of the membrane is high, the permeation performance of the membrane must be improved in order to realize PRO systems. We have investigated reverse osmosis (RO) membrane products as semipermeable membranes and measured the permeation volume of a few products. The generation power per unit membrane area calculated from the permeation volume is about 0.62 W/m2. But as a result of our improvements (greater salt water volume, spacers for fresh water channel with the function of discharging concentrated salinity, extralow-pressure type of membrane, washing the support layer of membrane when the generation power falls by half) the generated power may be 2.43 W/m2. Then the power system cost would be about 4.1 million yen/kW. In addition, if the support layer of the membrane is made thinner and a PRO system is applied to equipment where pumping power for another purpose is available (wastewater treatment plants located at the seaside, thermal and nuclear power plants, sea water desalination plants), the generated power may be increased. These improvements may enable PRO systems to be realized at a cost close to that of photovoltaic power systems. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 173(2): 8–20, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.21000

A series of 3-oxygenated derivatives of α-ionone and α-ionol have been characterized as highly specific male lures for the solanaceous fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel). In order to optimize the activity, we tested several analogous compounds derived from the three known attractants, 3-oxo-α-ionone, 3-oxo-α-ionol, and 3-hydroxy-α-ionone. 3-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionone and 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol were found to be potent attractants as well as feeding stimulants for the males in an indoor bioassay. While trans-3-hydroxy-α-ionone showed moderate attractant and feeding stimulant activity, the corresponding cis-isomer was weakly active, indicating the importance of the stereochemistry at the C-3 position. Synthetic trans-3-acetoxy-α-ionone exhibited lower activity than the corresponding 3-hydroxy derivative. B. latifrons males fed actively on 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionone, transformed it to 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol, and sequestered this compound in a substantial quantity in the rectal glands. Males that fed on 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol incorporated the compound mostly unchanged in the rectal gland. In both cases, the rectal content was approximately 1 μg/gland at 6 h post-feeding on the chemicals, respectively. Selective accumulation of these 3-oxygenated α-ionone/α-ionol analogs suggests their possible role as a male sex pheromone.

We investigated the role of leukotriene (LT) B(4) in 5-lipoxygenase metabolite- and allergy-induced itch-associated responses using SA6541, an LTA(4) hydrolase inhibitor. Itch-associated responses were induced by intradermal injection of 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HPETE), a precursor of 5-lipoxygenase metabolites, and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in ICR mice. By screening molecules related to arachidonic acid metabolism or pruritus, SA6541 was found to be a specific inhibitor of LTA(4) hydrolase. Pharmacokinetic studies confirmed the specificity of SA6541 at an oral dose of 100 mg/kg in mice. 5-HPETE induced scratching behavior, which was inhibited by SA6541 (100 mg/kg). However, SA6541 (100 mg/kg) hardly attenuated the 5-HPETE-induced increase in vascular permeability. Moreover, SA6541 (100 mg/kg) partially attenuated scratching behavior, but did not affect the increase in vascular permeability caused by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. On the other hand, ketotifen fumarate, a histamine H1 antagonist, strongly inhibited the scratching behavior and the increase in vascular permeability caused by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. These results suggest that LTB(4) is an endogenous itch mediator in the skin and is involved in the pruritus response in allergic reactions.

The solanaceous fruit fly, Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), infests various solanaceous fruits including eggplant and chili peppers. We found that a freshly cut fruit of an eggplant cultivar [Solanum melongena L. cv. Long Purple Oriental (Solanaceae) ] selectively attracted and provoked voracious feeding behavior in adult B. latifrons males (but not in females) in an indoor test. One of the male-specific attractants/feeding stimulants in eggplant was identified as 3-hydroxy-α-ionone. Sexually mature males that fed on the eggplant pulp selectively accumulated a series of 3-oxygenated α-ionone/α-ionol analogs (e.g., 3-oxo-α-ionol and 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol) in the rectal gland, a suspected pheromone reservoir in male flies. Males fed on synthetic 3-hydroxy-α-ionone, 3-oxo-α-ionol, or 3-oxo-α-ionone partially biotransformed the compounds into 3-oxo-α-ionol, 3-oxo-α-ionone, and 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-a-ionol and sequestered substantial quantities (as high as 5 μg/gland as a mixture) in a similar ratio in the rectal gland within 6 h after ingestion. These results suggest that the rectal sequestrates may serve as a sex pheromone similar to other Bactrocera species that use phenylpropanoid volatiles to attract conspecific females.

We studied synthetic modifications of N-mercaptoacylamino acid derivatives to develop a new class of leukotriene A(4) (LTA(4)) hydrolase inhibitors. S-(4-Dimethylamino)benzyl-l-cysteine derivative 2a (SA6541) showed inhibitory activity against LTA(4) hydrolase (IC(50), 270nM) and selectivity over other metallopeptidases except angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE, IC(50), 520nM). Modification at the para-substituent of the phenyl ring of compound 2a improved LTA(4) hydrolase inhibitory activity as well as selectivity over ACE. Finally, we obtained S-(4-cyclohexyl)benzy-l-cysteine derivatives 11l and 16i as potent and selective LTA(4) hydrolase inhibitors.

alpha-Ionone, alpha-ionol, and their mixtures with phenolic volatiles act as potential male lures for the solanaceous fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel). However, the attractiveness of these compounds is not as strong as that of other well-known tephritid male lures, such as methyl eugenol for Bactrocera dorsalis. Isophorone and isophorol, which have a partial skeletal structure of alpha-ionone/alpha-ionol (i.e., trimethylcyclohexene), were attractive to B. latifrons males, and their mixtures with alpha-ionol exhibited stronger activity than any of the individual compounds. We also tested 3-oxo-alpha-ionone, 3-oxo-alpha-ionol, 3-hydroxy-alpha-ionone, and 3-hydroxy-alpha-ionol, hybrid compounds between isophorone/isophorol and alpha-ionone/alpha-ionol. 3-Oxo-alpha-ionone and 3-oxo-alpha-ionol were active both as attractants and phagostimulants for males. The results suggest that the introduction of an oxygen atom at the 3-position of the alpha-ionone/alpha-ionol molecule optimizes the specific chemosensory responses in B. latifrons males.

Advanced-stage osteoarthritis may occasionally be associated with capital drop of the femoral head. In such cases, excision of the capital drop is performed to obtain good congruency with sufficient coverage of the femoral head by rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO). In the present study, we examined the outcome of RAO with excision of the capital drop. Rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) with excision of the capital drop was performed in 17 hips of 16 patients with a mean follow-up of 12.6 years (excision group), while only RAO was performed in 42 hips of 41 patients with a mean follow-up of 12.3 years (non-excision group). All 57 patients indicated radiographic evidence of advanced-stage osteoarthritis. Clinical follow-up was performed using the Merle d’Aubigne and Postel system. The clinical and radiological results were compared between the two groups. The mean Merle d’Aubigne and Postel’s total hip-joint scores at follow up significantly (p

Previous reports demonstrated 8–60% patients treated for developmental dislocation of hip (DDH) in infancy have residual acetabular dysplasia (AD) at skeletal maturity. AD patients reportedly exhibit abnormal morphology of the pelvis, high rates of comorbid spinal congenital anomalies and high bone mineral density. These physical findings suggest that AD patients have genetic background. We examined the percentage of AD patients with hip pain at skeletal maturity having a history of DDH in infancy and the correlation between the severity of AD at skeletal maturity and history of DDH treatment to investigate the relationship between AD and DDH. A total of 245 patients were radiographically examined for any history of DDH treatment in infancy. The study included 226 women and 19 men with a mean age at examination of 40.7 years (range 17–59 years). Eighty-eight patients (36%) had a history of DDH treatment (DDH group) and the remaining 157 patients (64%) had no history of DDH treatment (non-DDH group). The average age was lower and acetabular angle was larger in the DDH group. There was a significant increasing trend of the percentage of DDH patients associated with the severity of AD classified with CE, acetabular angle, and acetabular roof angle. Our data suggest that there are several AD patients without a history of DDH in Japan, and AD in patients without a history of DDH has different characteristics from AD in patients with a history of DDH.

We experienced two cases of fat embolism syndrome with femoral shaft fracture. Case 1. An 18-year-old boy who was injured in a traffic accident, showed disturbance of consciousness and suffered shock by fat embolism syndrome a day after the injury. Diagnosis was performed by MRI, and he was treated with edaravone and sodium ozagrel. The symptoms completely disappered and no relapse was seen. Case 2. A 73 year-old man who was injured in a car accident showed dyspnea and disturbance of consciousness two days after the injury. Chest X ray films revealed snow storm appearance, and he suffered shock by fat embolism syndrome. He was treated with steroid and sivelestat sodium hydrate. His symptoms completely disappered and no relapse was seen.

Summary Objective To determine the roles of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP) in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Design Cartilage tissues were obtained from the femoral heads of patients with OA, and those from patients with femoral neck fractures were used as a control. The expression of IGFBP-3, -4, and -5 was examined using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, and IGF-I and IGF-I receptors were also immunohistochemically detected. The percentages of positive chondrocytes were determined by counting the total number of chondrocytes over the area of the surface, middle, and deep zones of the cartilage. Results There was a marked increase in the percentage of positive chondrocytes in all IGFBPs on protein and messenger RNA levels for OA compared to that of the control cartilage. Furthermore, enhanced expression of IGFBPs and the IGF-I/IGF-I receptor was positively correlated with the histologic score for cartilage lesions. Conclusion Up-regulation of IGFBPs as well as IGF-I and its receptor was observed for OA cartilage tissue, suggesting the involvement of IGFBPs in the pathogenesis of OA.

Ethanol jet phenomena were observed with local contact microwave heating. The ethanol jet heights (velocities) and the shapes were measured by the high speed video camera (Redlake Motionmeter, 1000 fps. black & white CCD. 292pix×110pix, 0.2mm special resolution) and the effects of the exit diameter on the velocity were considered. The microwave output power was from 20W to 60 W. The microwave generator was MATSUSHITA TO-465 A with N-type connector. The coaxial cable was FUJIKURA 3.5 D QEFV (5.6 mm of outer diameter). The exit diameter was from 1 mm to 6 mm. The test section was covered by alumimum plates of 2 mm thickness and the microwave shader (Nisshinbo Engineering MP 135 R-20). The fuel chamber was brass. The jet shapes had many variations as fir tree type, umbrella type, mushroom type, and so on. As the results, the jet velocity was increased with the microwave output power and showed a maximum at an exit diameter in this research.

Although aseptic loosening of the prosthesis is a long-term complication after total joint replacement, the detailed mechanism of osteolysis remains unknown. We examined 82 samples from 40 patients with aseptic loosened hip prostheses histologically, and compared the distribution of particles, macrophages/histiocytes, and foreign body giant cells in the retrieved tissue from capsules and around prostheses. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanism of osteolysis, we cultured tissue from a patient with massive osteolysis and examined the effects of the conditioned medium on osteoblasts in vitro. Numerous multinucleated giant cells and histiocytes were present, and polyethylene particles ranging from medium to large were identified in the polarized light. However, the distribution was heterogeneous, and no particles were found microscopically in about 30%-40% of periprosthetic tissues, and in 60% of capsules. The amount of particles correlated with giant cells, but not with histiocytes. The conditioned medium of the granulation tissue culture stimulated osteoblasts to produce interleukin-6 in both protein and mRNA, and this was in part inhibited by anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha or the interleukin-1beta antibody, suggesting that interleukin-6 production is mediated by several cytokines. These findings suggest that interleukin-6, which is produced not only by macrophages but also by osteoblasts, is a contributing factor to aseptic loosening.

We described magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head without collapse in which micro-computed tomography (CT) and histopathologic studies were performed. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a subchondral low-signal intensity band, which corresponded to the fracture callus. Diffuse bone marrow edema with contrast enhancement effect was seen in both the proximal and distal segments of the low-signal intensity band. These features are distinct from those of avascular necrosis.

Pelvis inclines to the posterior in the standing position. We investigated factors which influence the change of pelvic inclination from the decubitus to the standing position.The subjects consisted of 129 coxarthrosis hips of 79 patients. We investigated the change of pelvic inclination angle from the decubitus to the standing position and the following factors : age, sex, stage, pelvic inclination angle in the decubitus and standing positions, and Sharp angle.The change of pelvic inclination angle increased in groups with high age, posterior inclination in the decubitus and standing positions, and normal Sharp angle.We speculate that coxarthrosis in elderly patients without dysplasia is caused by increased pelvic inclination angle in the standing position.

It is important to determine the coxarthrosis stage to evaluate joint space of the hip. The standing position reflects the influence of weight-bearing on the hip joint more clearly than the prone position. We experienced some cases of coxarthrosis whose stage in X-ray in the prone position changed in the standing position. We examined 77 hips of 50 patients with coxarthrosis, and classified then into the four stages according to only the narrowing of joint space in anterposterior X-ray of the hip : early-stage (41 hips), early phase of advanced-stage (11 hips), and late phase advanced-stage (25 hips). Terminal-stage was excluded. Thirteen hips (15.6%) moved to the progressive stage : 1 hips (2.4%) in early-stage, 3 hips (27.3%) in early phase advanced-stage, and 8 hips (32.0%) in late phase advanced-stage. In conclusion, as the coxarthrosis stage can change in the standing position, we need to pay attention to determining the coxarthrosis stage especially in advanced-stage cases.

In order to investigate the spray combustion mechanism, a new methodology (Fine Wire Sustaining method) was established. Fine wires of 14μm in diameter were used to sustain the droplets. Any arrangement of the droplets could be performed with this method. In this study, 33 fuel droplets arranged in symmetrically were subjected to the quiescent high temperature air in an electric furnace. The temperature of the environment air was about 1000K. Fuel was n-eicosane and the mean droplet diameter was 0.58mm. The standard deviation of the droplet diameter was 0.02mm. A high-speed video camera of 250ftp was provided to observe the auto-ignition and flames of fuel droplet clouds. The experiments were done at atmospheric pressure using the JAMIC drop shaft that provides 10 seconds of effective period of time for the micro-gravity. As the results, the time histories of the diameter of the particle flames had maximum and that of the diameter of the group flame had the minimum.