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As crystallization behavior has a great effect on the injection molding process, the flash differential scanning calorimetry (FSC) method was employed to study the influence of cooling rate on the crystallization behavior of a semi-crystalline polypropylene (PP). As the experimental results show, crystallization temperatures (onset crystallization temperature and maximum crystallization temperature) and crystallinity decrease as the cooling rate increases. In addition, the corresponding mathematical models were established to describe the relationship between the crystallization temperatures/crystallinity and the cooling rate. A revised Tait equation was also carried out based on the mathematical models.

Cancer tissue is composed of both a cancer cell component and a stromal component. The aim of this study was to investigate if the component ratio predicts a prognosis for lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) patients by using a machine learning method.A total of 135 peripheral SqCC cases (tumor size: 3-5 cm) were enrolled in this study. The areas of the cancer cell component, the necrotic component, and the stromal component were accurately measured via a machine learning method. Each case was divided into the following three subtypes: 1) predominant cancer cell, 2) predominant necrosis, and 3) predominant stroma. The study examined if a particular subtype had prognostic significance.The number of cases per subtype of predominant cancer cell, predominant necrosis, and predominant stroma was 59, 6, and 70, respectively. Patients with the predominant stroma subtype had a significantly shorter recurrence free survival (RFS) than did those with the predominant cancer cell subtype (5-yr RFS: 42.3 % vs. 84.3 %,p0.01). Also, in pathological stage I patients, the 5-year RFS rate for the predominant stroma subtype was significantly shorter (5-yr RFS: 64.3 % vs. 88.4 %, p0.01). In the multivariate analysis of p-stage I patients, the predominant stroma subtype was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor for RFS (p0.01).Using machine learning, the study confirmed that the predominant stroma subtype was an independent factor for RFS, suggesting that the ratio of the stromal component correlates with the malignant potential of SqCC.

Urban building energy model (UBEM) is an important tool in coping with energy issues of building sector. This paper focuses on an issue that the stock of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems has been oversimplified in UBEM without considering its heterogeneity. It has been observed that this oversimplification may incur a significant error in the result. To address this issue, this paper proposes a framework that integrates a logistic regression based HVAC system stock modeling method and the bottom-up type engineering modeling method using building archetypes considering HVAC system configurations. A case study with Japanese office building stock revealed that (1) the disregard of the heterogeneity resulted in an error of 15% in the annual primary energy consumption, (2) the historical change in the HVAC system stock could decrease the consumption up to 5%, and (3) its composition has a significant influence on the energy saving due to energy efficiency increase in heat source machines used in HVAC systems. The presented method would contribute not only to improving the reliability of UBEM but also to providing an analytical capability of considering energy efficiency technologies related to HVAC systems along with the alternation of technology selection in the building stock.

Stereochemistry of direct conversion of polyamides to hydroxyesters was investigated using model compounds. Optically active secondary-alkyl amines underwent the conversion to corresponding secondary alcohols in moderate yields by treatment with supercritical methanol in the presence of glycolic acid. The reaction progressed through almost completely stereochemical inversion to give secondary alcohols in high yields. Thus, the substitution reaction of the amino group to hydroxyl group progresses through SN2 type transition state accompanying with stereoinversion.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are one of the promising constituent materials of quantum information processing devices. The technique of silica coating of colloidal QDs using the reverse micelle method has been realized for improving position controllability, but the problem is that monodispersity and shape symmetry deteriorate when increasing the coating thickness. In this paper, we report three effective ways to achieve large silica-coated QDs with solving this problem, i.e. proper silanization on the QD surface, control of reverse micelle size by adjusting the amount of QD solvent, and two-step formation of silica shell. Proper substitution of ligands on the QD surface in the early stages of silica shell formation was important for uniform coating reaction. An amount of toluene as QD solvent determined the size of reverse micelles during the silica shell formation. There was an optimum combination of inverse micelle size and silica shell size to obtain silica-coated QDs with good monodispersity and high shape symmetry. We succeeded in growing the thick silica shell with expanding reverse micelle size by additionally supplying toluene with the raw material using the optimum silica-coated QDs as a growth nucleus.

Polyamides were effectively converted into hydroxyl esters by treatment with supercritical MeOH in the presence of glycolic acid. This transformation progressed smoothly over a period of 240 min, and the presence of glycolic acid accelerated the reaction. Kinetic analyses of the depolymerization of nylon 12 were performed by measuring the product distribution in the reaction mixture. The chemoselectivity of hydroxyl ester formation was linearly dependent on the amount of glycolic acid used. The product distribution of the reaction using pivalic acid was also measured. Simulations based on the actual time-course data enabled the estimation of kinetic parameters. The obtained kinetic parameters revealed that the rate constant for the formation of the hydroxyl ester was significantly enhanced by the presence of glycolic acid. These results clearly indicate that the monomeric unit, an amino ester, underwent a bimolecular substitution reaction with glycolic acid. Based on these results, we proposed a reaction mechanism for the formation of hydroxyl esters. Arrhenius plots of the reaction rates were used to effectively estimate the activation energy for each step.

We prototyped the solid-state photon generator composed of silica-coated quantum dot (QD) and metamaterial element using the scanning probe microscope lithography. The metamaterial element acts as an optical resonator and controls the emission of QD. For prototyping the device, QDs were trapped in a nanohole formed, and then, a metamaterial element was set around it. We succeeded in observing fine photon emission peak from the prototyped devices by the micro photoluminescence measurement. The temperature-independent wavelength of the emission peak suggested the resonance of the QD emission and the induced current in the metamaterial element.

A 69-year-old woman who underwent laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer(pathological T1bN1M0)in June 2011was admitted to the hospital because of abdominal pain in May 2015.A n abdominal CT scan showed ileus caused by a transverse colon tumor and ascending colon perforation.We performed emergency right hemicolectomy and diverting ileostomy.The postoperative pathological findings revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signetring cell carcinoma similar to the gastric cancer resected 4 years ago.Immunohistochemical findings showed that the colon tumor was positive for CK7, but negative for CK20 and expressed a gastric mucin phenotype.From these findings, the colon tumor was diagnosed as a metastasis from early gastric cancer.Colon metastasis from early gastric cancer is rare and the diagnosis is difficult in some cases.We herein report this case and discuss the clinical and pathologic features of colon metastasis from gastric cancer.

Upfront surgery and subsequent S-1 chemotherapy is frequently selected for peritoneal cytology-positive (CY1) gastric cancer patients without other distant metastases (CY1-only). The objective of this study was to confirm the efficacy of this strategy in clinical practice and to identify the risk factors associated with survival. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were examined in 36 CY1-only patients who underwent macroscopic curative resection followed by postoperative S-1 chemotherapy between January 2000 and June 2015. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazards model to identify risk factors. The median OS was 22.3 months (95% confidence interval 18.7–31.0). When the OS was compared by a log-rank test, significant differences were observed in the status of lymph node metastasis of pathological N3b (pN3b). Moreover, the univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that the status of pN3b was a significant independent risk factor for OS and RFS. The median OS in patients with pathological N0–N3a (pN0–N3a) was 31.0 months, while that in patients with pN3b was 18.2 months (P = 0.002). The median RFS in patients with pN0–N3a was 16.4 months, while that in patients with pN3b was 7.9 months (P = 0.007). The present study confirmed the efficacy of postoperative S-1 chemotherapy for CY1-only gastric cancer patients who received upfront surgery. This strategy might be recommended as clinical practice for patients with CY1 disease but a more effective treatment should be established for CY1-positive patients, especially for those who are diagnosed with CY1 and pN3b disease.

Summary: Background: Body weight loss (BWL) is frequently observed in gastric cancer patients who undergo gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The risk factors for severe BWL after gastrectomy remain unclear. Methods: The present study retrospectively examined patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2012 and June 2014 at Kanagawa Cancer Center. All patients received perioperative care based on the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol. The %BWL value was calculated based on the percentage of body weight at 1 month after surgery in comparison to the preoperative body weight. Severe BWL was defined as %BWL > 10%. The risk factors for severe BWL were determined by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: There were 278 patients examined. The median age of the patients was 68 years. The operative procedures included total gastrectomy [n=97; open (n=61) and laparoscopic {n=36)] and distal gastrectomy (n=181). Surgical complications of grade ≥ 2 (as defined by the Clavien–Dindo classification) were observed in 37 patients, these included: pancreatic fistula (n=9), anastomotic leakage (n=5), and abdominal abscess (n=3). There were no cases of surgery-associated mortality. Both univariate and multivariate logistic analyses demonstrated that surgical complications, and total gastrectomy were significant risk factors for severe BWL. Conclusions: Surgical complications and total gastrectomy were identified as being significant risk factors for severe BWL in the 1st month after gastrectomy. To maintain body weight after gastrectomy, physicians should pay careful attention to patients who undergo total gastrectomy and those who develop surgical complications. : Synopsis: This report demonstrates for the first time that the type of gastrectomy and surgical complications were significant independent risk factors for severe body weight loss in patients who received perioperative care using an enhanced recovery after surgery program after gastrectomy. Keywords: body weight loss, gastrectomy, gastric cancer

The distribution function of relaxation time of distant-pair (DP), or nongeminate recombination is derived in an analytic form from the existing theories of DP recombination to analyse the data of quadrature frequency resolved spectroscopy (QFRS) of photoluminescence (PL) in a-Si:H with the competing recombination model. The distribution function has a single parameter of metastable carrier density n and yields too narrow QFRS spectrum to fit the experimental data. This is improved with introducing the fluctuation Δ of the electron localisation radius ae. The devised formula is demonstrated to predict the dependence of the DP recombination on the photogeneration rate and the defect density in the QFRS data of the high-quality and defective a-Si:H. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

EPR and optical absorption investigations are carried out at room temperature on vanadyl doped ARbB4O7 (A = Li, Na, K) glasses. These results indicate that the VO2+ ion enters the glass matrix into a tetragonally compressed octahedral site. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters calculated from the EPR spectra for the three glass systems LRB, NRB and KRB are: g∥ = 1.948, g⊥ = 1.976, A∥ = 157 × 10−4, A⊥ = 58 × 10−4 cm−1; g∥ = 1.948, g⊥ = 1.977, A∥ = 157 × 10−4, A⊥ = 58 × 10−4 cm−1 and g∥ = 1.948, g⊥ = 1.979, A∥ = 157 × 10−4, A⊥ = 59 × 10−4 cm−1, respectively. The optical spectrum exhibits three characteristic bands for all these glasses suggesting C 4 v symmetry. The crystal field and tetragonal field parameters evaluated using the optical data for the three systems LRB, NRB and KRB are: Dq = 1666, Ds = −3339, Dt = 450 cm−1; Dq = 1666, Ds = −3329, Dt = 441 cm−1 and Dq = 1666, Ds = −3219 and Dt = 507 cm−1, respectively. The bonding parameters indicate a moderately covalent bond between the metal ions and ligands.

Film casting is one of the important processes for obtaining the plastic film products. Molten polymer casting is conducted by cooling the extruded melts at the surface of chill roller laid below the extrusion dies. Flow instabilities in the film casting are divided into two categories. One is the shear flow instability and the other is the extensional flow instability. These instabilities are similar to those appearing in the melt spinning process. Among many parameters governing shear flow instability, shear rate and Deborah number defined as the ratio of polymer relaxation time to retention time in the land of dies or spinneret orifice are likely to be most important. The small value of Deborah number is found to be effective for depressing the shear flow instability. Regarding the extensional flow instability, draw resonance phenomena were summarized and discussed. Polymer parameters such as power low index in the power low fluid model and relaxation time in Maxwell fluid model were found to be important for onset of draw resonance instability. As process parameters, cooling effect of extruded melts, draft ratio defined as elongation ratio of melts and air gap length corresponding the distance from dies exit to chill roller were also important. Further study on transient response of disturbances having various frequencies was done. It was found that film thickness uniformity changed depending on disturbance frequency.

Nonlinear analysis of the draw resonance instability and the transient disturbance response to disturbances having various frequencies were carried out. Experiments were performed using air gap water-quenched melt spinning with vibrational equipment for imparting frequency disturbances on the spinline. The amplitude and period of oscillation with respect to the cross-sectional area varied as a function of the draw resonance vibration and the disturbance response. High frequency disturbances were found to be effective for depressing the draw resonance instability. Large nozzle L/D ratios were also found to be effective for decreasing the elongational flow instability.

A copper-doped LiRbB4O7 crystal was grown by the Czochralski technique. Powder X-ray, EPR and optical absorption studies were carried out. The results and discussion of the copper doped LiRbB4O7 crystal indicate that the copper ions enter the host lattice by replacing Li ions. The Cu(II) ion spectrum is characteristic of a tetragonally elongated octahedral site. Lattice and spin-Hamiltonian parameters were evaluated. The bonding parameters indicate that the bonding between copper and the ligands is partly covalent.

EPR and optical absorption investigations are carried out at room temperature on copper-doped ARbB4O7 (A=Na, K) glasses. The results indicate that the copper ions (Cu2+) enter the glass matrix into a tetragonally elongated octahedral site. Crystal field and spin-Hamiltonian parameters are evaluated. The bonding parameters indicate that bonding between the metal ions and ligands is partially covalent.

Cadmium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate (CAPH) is analogous to naturally occurring struvite. CAPH crystals are grown by slow evaporation technique. These crystals are characterised by X-ray, TG-DTA and Infra-red studies. Powder X-ray pattern indicates the orthorhombic crystal structure analogous to struvite. TG-DTA analysis suggests loss of water of hydration (6H 2 O) between 113 and 391°C. Later the substance melts and only Cd remains around 780°C. Infra Red spectrum is characteristic of H 2 O, PO 4 3- and NH 4 + radicals.

We examined the lane formation dynamics of oppositely self-driven binary particles by molecular dynamics simulations of a two-dimensional system. Our study comprehensively revealed the effects of the density and system size on the lane formation. The phase diagram distinguishing the no-lane and lane states was systematically determined for various combinations of the anisotropic friction coefficient and the desired velocity. A peculiar clustered structure was observed when the lane was destroyed by greatly increasing the desired velocity. A strong system size effect was demonstrated by the relationship between the temporal and spatial scales of the lane structure. This system size effect can be attributed to an analogy with the driven lattice gas. The transport efficiency was characterized from the scaling relation in terms of the degree of lane formation and the interface thickness between different lanes., 8 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Journal of the Physical Society of Japan

An efficient transformation of polyamides to ω-hydroxy alkanoic acids was achieved. Treatment of nylon-12 with supercritical MeOH in the presence of glycolic acid gave methyl ω-hydroxydodecanoate in 85% yield and the alcohol/alkene selectivity in the product was enhanced to up to 9.5:1. The use of (18)O-enriched acetic acid for the reaction successfully introduced an (18)O atom at the alcoholic OH group in the product. This strategy may provide a new and economical solution for the chemical recycling of waste plastics.

120 Background: Our previous study clarified that morbidity was a negative prognostic factor and sarcopenia defined by of the handgrip strength was a risk factor for the morbidity in gastric cancer surgery. Sarcopenia was reportedly a negative prognostic factor in colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and malignant melanoma. This study aimed to evaluate impact of preoperative sarcopenia on recurrence-free survival (RFS) in gastric cancer surgery. Methods: Between May 2011 and June 2013, 256 consecutive primary gastric cancer patients who underwent curative surgery were retrospectively examined. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or were diagnosed with pathological stage IV were excluded. Preoperative skeletal muscle mass was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and was expressed as skeletal muscle index or SMI (muscle mass/height2) by adjusting absolute muscle mass with height. Preoperative muscle function was measured by hand grip strength (HGS). Each cutoff value was determined as the gender-specific lowest 20% of the distribution of each measurement. Univariate and multivariate analyses were preformed to identify risk factors for RFS using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Median age (range) was 66 years (37-85 years). Male to female ratio was 168:88. Median follow-up period was 33.4 months. Pathological stage was I in 160, II in 48 and III in 48 patients. Univariate analysis showed that age, adjuvant chemotherapy, pT, pN, histological type, tumor size, total gastrectomy, low SMI and low HGS were significant risk factors for RFS. Multi-variate Cox’s proportional hazard analyses demonstrated that pT (HR 2.76, p = 0.0001), pN (HR 1.375, p = 0.037), histological type (HR 3.46, p = 0.014), low SMI (HR2.17, p = 0.036) were the significant risk factors for RFS. The three-year RFS was 89.1% in the patients with high SMI and 73.2% in those with low SMI (p = 0.007). Conclusions: Low SMI was an independent risk factor for RFS in Stage I-III gastric cancer. Low HGS, a risk factor for morbidity shown in our previous study, was not a risk independent factor for RFS. Preoperative sarcopenia as the short- and long-term outcomes has a value to be tested in the future prospective studies in gastric cancer surgery.

The one-step preparation of 1-nitrobicyclo[3.1.0]hexane and bicycloisoxazoline-N-oxide was readily achieved from conjugate adducts of nitro alkenes and allylmalonates by treatment with Ag(2)O and iodine under basic conditions. We observed that when a primary alkyl group was present at the β-position of the nitro group, bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane was preferentially formed, whereas if a secondary alkyl group occupied that position, isoxazoline-N-oxide was predominantly produced. High cis-selectivity was observed for the formation of cyclopentane units for both reactions. An iodomethyl adduct, considered an intermediate of the cyclization, was isolated, and its conversion to isoxazoline-N-oxide was successfully achieved. The isoxazoline-N-oxide underwent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with alkenes to yield tricycloheterocyclic compounds, which were readily converted to spirolactam in good yield by reductive cleavage of N-O bonds using Raney-Ni. On the other hand, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the isoxazoline-N-oxide to terminal alkynes yielded tricyclic aziridines stereoselectively.