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In this study, delayed detached-eddy simulations (DDESs) based on the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model are investigated for separation flows. Three simple modifications are considered: the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence model coefficient, Crot, is calibrated to achieve a better leading-edge separation prediction in DDES; the large-eddy simulation (LES) coefficient, CDES, is assessed to obtain better dissipation control in DDES; and dirty-cell treatments in three-dimensional unstructured grids are conducted for a smooth LES/RANS transition. Numerical results confirm the effects of the three aforementioned steps, such as the reproducibility of the measured pressure distribution over the main wing in unsteady turbulence simulations of low-speed buffet around the NASA Common Research Model. Thus, these modifications will potentially serve as good alternatives, without major programming efforts, to the conventional approaches for practitioners.

In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulations and experiments of the interaction between a normal shock and bubbles generated by the repetitive energy depositions of a laser pulse in a Mach 1.92 flow was conducted. As a result of the shock–bubble interaction, a vortex ring, caused by a baroclinic effect, was generated. Owing to the self-induced velocity field, the advection velocity of the vortex rings decreased with increasing laser pulse energy. In the experiments, when interactions among the vortex rings became strong, separations in transverse directions between adjacent bubbles were induced. This was reproduced through numerical simulations by imposing an artificial disturbance in the initial positions of the bubbles, i.e., by 5% of the bubble diameter in a transversal direction. The asymmetric behaviors of a row of vortex rings were classified into three patterns based on the ratio of the distance between the vortex rings to the size of the vortex rings ( λ: inverse Strouhal number). In pattern 1, with λ >2.9, there was negligible interference between the vortex rings because the interval of the vortex rings was sufficiently large. In pattern 2, with λ = 0.97–1.2, separation in the vortex-ring rows appeared, and the separation angle increased as λ decreased. In pattern 3, with λ

Plant microbiomes are shaped by forces working at different spatial scales. Environmental factors determine a pool of potential symbionts while host physiochemical factors influence how those microbes associate with distinct plant tissues. These scales are seldom considered simultaneously, despite their potential to interact. Here, we analyze epiphytic microbes from nine Hibiscus tiliaceus trees across a steep, but short, environmental gradient within a single Hawaiian watershed. At each location, we sampled eight microhabitats: leaves, petioles, axils, stems, roots, and litter from the plant, as well as surrounding air and soil. The composition of bacterial communities is better explained by microhabitat, while location better predicted compositional variance for fungi. Fungal community compositional dissimilarity increased more rapidly along the gradient than did bacterial composition. Additionally, the rates of fungal community compositional dissimilarity along the gradient differed among plant parts, and these differences influenced the distribution patterns and range size of individual taxa. Within plants, microbes were compositionally nested such that aboveground communities contained a subset of the diversity found belowground. Our findings indicate that both environmental context and microhabitat contribute to microbial compositional variance in our study, but that these contributions are influenced by the domain of microbe and the specific microhabitat in question, suggesting a complicated and potentially interacting dynamic.

Tribological developments including lubricant and die material etc. contribute to improvement of die life and product quality in forging. They have used several tribological tests in laboratories. A container-less tapered-plug penetration test was proposed to estimate tribological properties of lubricants with prevention galling and reducing friction. This simple test uses a thick and hollow specimen so that pressure can be higher even without the container. Not to use the container can limit the frictional interface between a tapered-plug and a specimen. Consequently, the friction directly affects the forming load, and it is more simply and precise to estimate the frictional coefficient. In this paper, the frictional coefficient between the tapered-plug and the specimen is estimated using a perturbation method with both FEM analytical and experimental data on the forming load. A change in the frictional coefficient is also indicated during the test.

Background Blood pressure (BP) variability has reportedly been a risk factor for various clinical events. To clarify the influence of BP visit‐to‐visit variability on adverse events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, a post hoc analysis of the J‐RHYTHM Registry was performed. Methods and Results Of 7406 outpatients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation from 158 institutions, 7226 (age, 69.7±9.9 years; men, 70.7%), in whom BP was measured 4 times or more (14.6±5.0 times) during the 2‐year follow‐up period or until occurrence of an event, constituted the study group. SD and coefficient of variation of BP values were calculated as BP variability. Thromboembolism, major hemorrhage, and all‐cause death occurred in 110 (1.5%), 121 (1.7%), and 168 (2.3%) patients, respectively. When patients were divided into quartiles of systolic BP‐SD (P =0.015 for thromboembolism; HR, 2.60, 95% CI, 1.36–4.97, P =0.004 for major hemorrhage; and HR, 1.85, 95% CI, 1.11–3.07, P =0.018 for all‐cause death) after adjusting for components of the CHA 2 DS 2 ‐VASc score, warfarin and antiplatelet use, atrial fibrillation type, BP measurement times, and others. These findings were consistent when BP‐coefficient of variation was used instead of BP‐SD. Conclusions Systolic BP visit‐to‐visit variability was significantly associated with all adverse events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Further studies are needed to clarify the causality between BP variability and adverse outcomes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Registration URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ ; Unique Identifier: UMIN000001569.

Plant microbiomes are shaped by forces working at different spatial scales. Environmental factors determine a pool of potential symbionts while host physiochemical factors influence how those microbes associate with distinct plant tissues. Interactions between these scales, however, are seldom considered. Here we analyze epiphytic microbes from nine Hibiscus tiliaceus trees across a steep environmental gradient within a single Hawaiian watershed. At each location we sampled eight microhabitats: leaves, petioles, axils, stems, roots, and litter from the plant, as well as surrounding air and soil. While the composition of microbial communities is driven primarily by microhabitat, this variable predicted more than twice the compositional variance for bacteria compared to fungi. Fungal community compositional dissimilarity increased more rapidly along the gradient than did bacteria. Additionally, the spatial dynamics of fungal communities differed among plant parts, and these differences influenced the distribution patterns and range size of individual taxa. Within plants, microbes were compositionally nested such that aboveground communities contained a subset of the diversity found belowground. Our findings identify potential differences underlying the mechanisms shaping communities of fungi and bacteria associated with plants, and indicate an interaction between assembly mechanisms working simultaneously on different spatial scales.

We develop an x-ray imaging system based on Talbot–Lau interferometry equipped with a mechanical structure for retracting and rotating gratings from the optical axis, which enables not only x-ray phase contrast imaging but also conventional x-ray imaging with high-magnification such as microcomputed tomography (μCT). We investigate the characterization of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates using this apparatus. Microcracks and fiber orientations are visualized in the dark-field images. Compared with the obtained μCT images, the relationship between the CFRP microstructures and the contrasts in the dark-field images are recognizable.

Aim: This study aimed to test the influence of functional improvements in volleyball skills performance. Methods: Twenty-eight amateur female volleyball players were assigned to Skill (S: n = 14, 19.5 ± 4.6 yrs; 169.7 ± 7.2 cm; 62.9 ± 12.7 kg) or Skill and Strength/Power (S+SP: n = 14; 18.6 ± 3.5 yrs; 169.7 ± 5.1 cm; 63.3 ± 9.2 kg). S+SP performed eight weeks of volleyball and conditioning training. S maintained only volleyball training. Functional variables (i.e. strength, power, and agility measures) and volleyball skills performance in a game-situation context were assessed before and after training. Results: 1-RM squat and bench press, time at modified agility T-test, peak power at bench throw and medicine-ball throw distance improved for the S+SP (p0.05). The probabilities of a perfect set and an attack ‘kill’ in S+SP improved (¶>0.90). Changes from pre to post-training were higher in S+SP than in S for a perfect set, ‘stuff block’ and defense with displacement (¶>0.90). Conclusion: Our data suggest that functional improvements may positively affect volleyball skills performance. Although functional variables revealed only within-group changes, S+SP produced greater improvements in skill performance than S, supporting the use of conditioning training to improve volleyball performance.

The prevalence of gastrointestinal reflux disease and reflux-related complications continue to rise, and treatment options are limited. Medical management alone is often ineffective and chronic use carries inherent risk. Magnetic sphincter augmentation represents a reasonable and viable treatment option for appropriately selected patients. Compared to surgical wraps, magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) may provide similar rates of patient satisfaction, anti-acid medication cessation, and decreased esophageal acid exposure. Additionally, MSA may lower postoperative gas bloat symptoms and better preserve the ability to belch or vomit, versus surgical wraps. Magnetic sphincter augmentation, however, is still relatively new, and further study is needed to evaluate and compare outcomes more appropriately to that of surgical wraps.

Summary Objectives This study aimed to compare the differences in vertical jumping abilities between top-level athletes from distinct sports specialties. Material and methods Soccer players (n = 21), tennis players (n = 24), endurance runners (n = 15) and power athletes (n = 19) volunteered to participate in this study. The testing routines comprises performing squat jumps, countermovement jumps and drop jumps. The jumping performance was analysed by means of height and reactive strength index. Results Differences were found between the power group and all other groups in all tested variables (P Conclusion The power athletes perform better than all groups in jumping tests. These data provide quantitative information concerning performance differences between athletes from different sports, reinforcing the need to assess the training status and the inherent characteristics of these subjects.

Benign submucosal tumors in the proximal GI tract are rare and often asymptomatic. The majority of these tumors are leiomyomas in the esophagus and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in the stomach. While surveillance is a viable option, symptomatic tumors, or those with worrisome characteristics, should be excised. The operative goal is complete resection without altering gastrointestinal function. The surgical approach and technique are dependent on the location of the tumor and whether resection may overly narrow the intestinal lumen (i.e., near the pylorus) or injure nearby structures. Preoperative or intraoperative upper endoscopy can be invaluable to assist in tumor localization. More recently, hybrid laparoscopic and endoscopic submucosal dissection has shown promise in achieving less radical dissections and perhaps avoiding the need for major reconstruction (i.e., Billroth I/II, Roux-en-Y) after the tumor is excised. These techniques are gaining popularity as endoscopic surgery is becoming more commonplace; however, the large studies addressing safety and efficacy are lacking.

A PTL routing method for large-scale SFQ logic circuits is proposed. In this method, a routing problem is solved in two steps; global routing and detailed routing. In the global routing, a routing region is split into rectangular subregions and paths connecting them are obtained. Wire length budgeting is introduced into the global routing for allocating sufficient amount of routing resources to each net considering wire length matching in the detailed routing. In the detailed routing, exact wiring routes are determined based on a solution of the global routing and wire length matching is performed at each subregion. The global routing with wire length budgeting is formulated and an algorithm for it is proposed. In the proposed global routing algorithm, initial routes are searched at first using the rip-up and reroute technique, and then, routing resource distribution is calculated by constructing a flow-graph and solving a max-flow problem. If distribution of routing resources fails, global route extension is conducted to allocate additional routing resources to nets. The routing resource distribution and the global route extension are repeated until sufficient resources are allocated to all nets. As a design example, a 16 bit Sklansky adder was designed using the proposed method. Wire length matching in detailed routing was succeeded and the target frequency of 50 GHz was achieved.

Applied Physics B, 81 (8), ISSN:0946-2171, ISSN:1432-0649, ISSN:0721-7269, ISSN:0340-3793

Background The pathophysiology of adhesion formation after abdominal and pelvic surgery is still largely unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of macrophage polarization and the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ stimulation on adhesion formation in an animal model. Methods Peritoneal adhesion formation was induced by the creation of ischaemic buttons within the peritoneal wall and the formation of a colonic anastomosis in wild-type, interleukin (IL) 10-deficient (IL-10−/−), IL-4-deficient (IL-4−/−) and CD11b-Cre/PPARγfl/fl mice. Adhesions were assessed at regular intervals, and cell preparations were isolated from ischaemic buttons and normal peritoneum. These samples were analysed for macrophage differentiation and its markers, and expression of cytokines by quantitative PCR, fluorescence microscopy, arginase activity and pathological examination. Some animals underwent pioglitazone (PPAR-γ agonist) or vehicle treatment to inhibit adhesion formation. Anastomotic healing was evaluated by bursting pressure measurement and collagen gene expression. Results Macrophage M2 marker expression and arginase activity were raised in buttons without adhesions compared with buttons with adhesions. IL-4−/− and IL-10−/− mice were not affected, whereas CD11b-Cre/PPARγfl/fl mice showed decreased arginase activity and increased adhesion formation. Perioperative pioglitazone treatment increased arginase activity and decreased adhesion formation in wild-type but not CD11b-Cre/PPARγfl/fl mice. Pioglitazone had no effect on anastomotic healing. Conclusion Endogenous macrophage-specific PPAR-γ signalling affected arginase activity and macrophage polarization, and counter-regulated peritoneal adhesion manifestation. Pharmacological PPAR-γ agonism induced a shift towards macrophage M2 polarization and ameliorated adhesion formation in a macrophage-dependent manner.Surgical relevancePostoperative adhesion formation is frequently seen after abdominal surgery and occurs in response to peritoneal trauma. The pathogenesis is still unknown but includes an imbalance in fibrinolysis, collagen production and inflammatory mechanisms. Little is known about the role of macrophages during adhesion formation.In an experimental model, macrophage M2 marker expression was associated with reduced peritoneal adhesion formation and involved PPAR-γ-mediated arginase activity. Macrophage-specific PPAR-γ deficiency resulted in reduced arginase activity and aggravated adhesion formation. Pioglitazone, a PPAR-γ agonist, induced M2 polarization and reduced postoperative adhesion formation without compromising anastomotic healing in mice.Pioglitazone ameliorated postoperative adhesion formation without compromising intestinal wound healing. Therefore, perioperative PPAR-γ agonism might be a promising strategy for prevention of adhesion formation after abdominal surgery.

Capecitabine and S-1 are orally administered fluorinated pyrimidines with high-level activity against metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This randomized, multicenter, phase II study compared the activities and safeties of the oral fluoropyrimidines, capecitabine and S-1, in breast cancer patients. Patients with MBC were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine 825 g/m2 twice daily on days 1–21 every 4 weeks or S-1 40–60 mg twice daily, according to body surface area, on days 1–28 every 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 142 patients were enrolled and randomized to either capecitabine (N = 73) or S-1 (N = 69). Median PFS (progression-free survival) was 1.2 years for capecitabine and 1.3 years for S-1, with a hazard ratio (S-1/capecitabine) of 0.85 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.52–1.38) (P = 0.48 by log-rank). The confirmed objective response rates were 24.0 % for capecitabine and 23.1 % for S-1 (P = 0.938). The most common treatment-related adverse events were grade 1–2 in intensity. Thrombocytopenia (S-1: 9.2 %, capecitabine: 1.4 %; P = 0.040) and nausea (S-1: 26.2 %, capecitabine: 14.1 %; P = 0.079) were more frequent in the S-1 group, while hand-foot syndrome occurred more often in the capecitabine group (S-1: 10.8 %, capecitabine: 25.4 %; P = 0.029). The results of the current study demonstrate that both S-1 and capecitabine are effective and well-tolerated treatments in patients with MBC, while their adverse events were different. They are both convenient, orally administered drugs, making them attractive agents for use in outpatient treatment.

The effect of Ce doping on the dielectric relaxation in Sr 0.75 Ba 0.25 Nb 2 O 6 single crystal grown by double crucible Stepanov technique has been investigated. It has been observed that the incorporation of Ce ion in the lattice reduces the dielectric maxima. It further increases the degree of diffusiveness and lowers the temperature of dielectric maxima as a result of the introduction of additional random field via created point defects. Both the undoped and Ce doped crystals undergo a non-debye type relaxation. Vogel–Fulcher fitting reveals that the attempt frequency reduced by one order of magnitude on Ce doping.

This study assessed the effects of physical activity on a 10-year incidence of self-reported vertebral fractures in adult women of a large Japanese cohort. Medium levels of strenuous activity and long-duration sedentary activity were associated with a lower incidence of vertebral fractures; association patterns appear to be different from hip fractures. Physical activity helps prevent hip fracture, but little is known about the longitudinal association between physical activity and vertebral fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of physical activity on the 10-year incidence of symptomatic vertebral fractures using data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Baseline studies were conducted in 1993–1994, and the follow-up study was conducted 10 years later. We analyzed 23,757 women aged 40–69 years. At baseline, physical activity was assessed as a predictor by using a questionnaire. Subjects were asked to report vertebral fractures that occurred during the 10-year follow-up period. Relative risks (RRs) adjusted for confounders were estimated by multiple logistic regression analysis. The 10-year cumulative incidence of vertebral fractures was 0.67 %. Those who engaged in strenuous physical activity of

This paper describes a novel area-based stereo-matching method which aims at reconstructing the shape of objects robustly, correctly, with high precision and with high density. Our goal is to reconstruct correctly the shape of the object by comprising also edges as part of the resulting surface. For this purpose, we need to overcome the problem of how to reconstruct and describe shapes with steep and sharp edges. Area-based matching methods set an image area as a template and search the corresponding match. As a direct consequence of this approach, it becomes not possible to correctly reconstruct the shape around steep edges. Moreover, in the same regions, discontinuities and discrepancies of the shape between the left and right stereo-images increase the difficulties for the matching process. In order to overcome these problems, we propose in this paper the approach of reconstructing the shape of objects by embedding reliable edge line segments into the area-based matching process with parallax estimation. We propose a robust stereo-matching (the extended Edge TIN-LSM) method which integrates edges and which is able to cope with differences in right and left image shape, brightness changes and occlusions. The method consists of the following three steps: (1) parallax estimation, (2) edge-matching, (3) edge-surface matching. In this paper, we describe and explain in detail the process of parallax estimation and the area-based surface-matching with integrated edges; the performance of the proposed method is also validated. The main advantage of this new method is its ability to reconstruct with high precision a 3D model of an object from only two images (for ex. measurement of a tire with 0.14 mm accuracy), thus without the need of a large number of images. For this reason, this approach is intrinsically simple and high-speed.