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Tetsuro Ohno, Mitsuhiro Yanai, Hiroyuki Ando, Yoshitaka Toyomasu, Atsushi Ogawa, Hiroki Morita, Kyoichi Ogata, Erito Mochiki, Takayuki Asao, Hiroyuki KuwanoDepartment of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, JapanBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Rikkunshito on ghrelin secretion and on cisplatin-induced anorexia in humans.Methods: The study was performed as a crossover design, and ten unresectable or relapsed gastric cancer patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (n = 5) was started on Rikkunshito (2.5 g three times daily, orally) from the first course of chemotherapy and followed by a second course without Rikkunshito. A treatment with reversed order was performed for Group B (n = 5). All patients received combined chemotherapy with S-1 plus cisplatin. The primary endpoint was the amount of oral intake, and the categories of scales of anorexia, nausea, and vomiting; secondary endpoints included the plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin.Results: In the Rikkunshito-on period, no decrease of the plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin induced by cisplatin was observed. The average oral intake in the Rikkunshito-on period was significantly larger than that in the Rikkunshito-off period, and the grade of anorexia was significantly lower in the Rikkunshito-on period than in the Rikkunshito-off period.Conclusion: Rikkunshito appeared to prevent anorexia induced by cisplatin, resulting in effective prophylactic administration of chemotherapy with cisplatin, and patients could continue their treatments on schedule.Keywords: Rikkunshito, cisplatin, ghrelin, anorexia, stomach cancer

The energy conversion potential of ferroelectric materials originating from their phase transitions, in particular temperature ranges and electric field values, is very promising. Pyroelectric energy harvesting consists of directly converting thermal energy into electrical energy. Due to its high energy conversion potential, the Olsen cycle is the most favorable for pyroelectric energy harvesting. This cycle includes two isothermal and two constant electric field branches. In this study, the Olsen cycle was modeled, then varying temperatures and applied electric field directions for different crystal orientations were simulated. Polarization responses were obtained via the Landau–Devonshire theory. Then, an innovative way to model the electrocaloric effect was proposed; experimental results and first-principle calculations confirmed the simulation results. The resulting negative electrocaloric effect due to crystal orientation, previously reported in the literature, has been successfully simulated through a phenomenological approach. Finally, we identified which phase transitions are interesting for pyroelectric energy harvesting applications depending on crystal orientations while obtaining an energy density in the order of ≈ 10 2 mJ / cm 3. This value corresponds to previous results in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of Pr ion for La in (La1-xPrx)Ba2Cu3Oz bulk samples was examined.

This paper proposes a displacement measuring technique for detailed noncontact mapping of the interior geometry of pipes. The technique, which is based on optical measurement using triangulation, employs a laser-beam scanner to measure radial displacement. To achieve high precision, three different algorithms for calculating the displacement from sensor output are compared in experiments. One of them, which calculates the displacement by using several direction-dependent characteristic curves, gives high accuracy. The accuracy of our experimental system is + or - 0.2 mm for radii between 33 and 42 mm. A mapping system using this technique with automated data-acquisition and 3D rendering of the interior is also described. Its effectiveness is illustrated by the experimental results.