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Glomerular hyperfiltration is observed in an early stage of kidney diseases including diabetic nephropathy. A better understanding of pathophysiological changes in glomerular hyperfiltration is essential for development of new therapies to prevent kidney disease progression. In this study, we investigated glomerular changes including glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and glomerular size in the Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) fatty rat, an obese type 2 diabetic model, and we also evaluated pharmacological effects of the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on the renal lesions. Dapagliflozin was administered to SDT fatty rats from 5 to 17 weeks of age. Blood and urinary biochemical parameters were periodically measured. GFR was determined by transdermal GFR monitor at 16 weeks of age and histopathological analysis was performed at 17 weeks of age. SDT fatty rat developed severe hyperglycemia and exhibited pathophysiological abnormalities in the kidney, such as an increased GFR, glomerular hypertrophy and tissue lesions. Dapagliflozin achieved good glycemic control during the experimental period, inhibited the increase in GFR, and improved histopathological abnormalities in tubules. These results suggest that the SDT fatty rat is a useful model for analyzing the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy during its early stage and dapagliflozin improves not only hyperglycemia but also glomerular hyperfiltration and tubule lesions in SDT fatty rat.

The aim of this study was to verify the reproducibility and accuracy of preoperative planning in maxilla repositioning surgery performed with the use of computer-aided design/manufacturing technologies and mixed reality surgical navigation, using new registration markers and the HoloLens headset. Eighteen patients with a mean age of 26.0 years were included. Postoperative evaluations were conducted by comparing the preoperative virtual operation three-dimensional image (Tv) with the 1-month postoperative computed tomography image (T1). The three-dimensional surface analysis errors ranged from 79.9% to 97.1%, with an average error of 90.3%. In the point-based analysis, the errors at each point on the XYZ axes were calculated for Tv and T1 in all cases. The median signed value deviation of all calculated points on the XYZ axes was -0.03mm (range -2.93mm to 3.93mm). The median absolute value deviation of all calculated points on the XYZ axes was 0.38mm (range 0mm to 3.93mm). There were no statistically significant differences between any of the points on any of the axes. These values indicate that the method used was able to reproduce the maxilla position with high accuracy.

The Linear IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility) Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) is aiming at demonstrating the low energy section of a 40 MeV/125 mA IFMIF deuteron accelerator up to 9 MeV with a full beam current in cw operation. For such a high-power beam, the LIPAc injector is required to produce a 100 keV D

The Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) is a high intensity D+ linear accelerator; demonstrator of the International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF). In summer 2019 the IFMIF/EVEDA Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerated its nominal 125 mA deuteron (D+) beam current up to 5 MeV, with 90% transmission for pulses of 1 ms at 1 Hz. This success was possible thanks to an intense previous campaign of modelization and measurements in order to characterize the RFQ input beam, which is affected by the ECR ion source extraction and the low energy beam transport. The simulation models used with the measurement benchmarks are here presented.

Magnetization measurements under pressure reveal that the external hydrostatic pressure significantly increases in the ferrimagnetic transition temperature, Tc, for A2Mn[Mn(CN)6] (A = K, Rb, Cs). In the case of monoclinic A = K and Rb, dTc/dp values are 21.2 and 14.6 K GPa–1, respectively, and Tc increases by 53 and 39%, respectively, from ambient pressure to 1.0 GPa. The cubic A = Cs compound also shows a monotonous increase with an initial rate of 4.22 K GPa–1 and about 11.4 K GPa–1 above 0.6 GPa, and an overall Tc increase by 26% at 1.0 GPa. The increase in Tc is attributed to deformation of the structure such that the MnII—N≡C angle decreases with increasing pressure. The smaller the alkali cation, the greater the decrease in the MnII—N≡C angle induced by pressure and the larger the increase of dTc/dp. This is in accordance with the ambient-pressure structures for A2Mn[Mn(CN)6] (A = K, Rb, Cs), which have decreasing MnII—N≡C angles that correlate to the observed increasing Tcs as K > Rb > Cs. The larg...

The effect of deposition temperature and post-annealing on the crystallographic orientation of cerium dioxide (CeO 2 ) films on sapphire (α-Al 2 O 3 ) substrates were investigated. CeO 2 films, with thickness of 17 nm, were grown on c-plane and r-plane sapphire substrates by radiofrequency (rf) magnetron sputtering. Deposition temperatures between 150 and 500 °C were used with a sintered CeO 2 target in an Ar–O 2 gas mixture. The post-annealing treatment was performed in air at various temperatures ranging from 400 to 1000 °C. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the orientation of the CeO 2 films changed from (001) to mixed (001)/(111) and then to (111), with increasing deposition temperatures on both the c-plane and r-plane sapphire substrates. Post-annealing at 1000 °C improved the degree of crystallinity of the films, and formed rectangular grains. The results suggest that control of the deposition and post-annealing temperatures provides orientation-controlled CeO 2 films on c- and r-plane sapphire substrates.

Purpose To characterize the preoperative use of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (AR) blockers and investigate its impact on the outcome of single-session extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for a ureteral calculus in male patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study involving 193 patients who underwent SWL for a single ureteral calculus between 2006 and 2016. We reviewed their medical records to obtain the data on the preoperative use of alpha-1 AR blocker and, if any, the reason for the prescription. The primary outcome was treatment success after single-session SWL, defined as complete stone clearance or residual fragments

Background Senescence at cellular level develops with various genotoxic stresses and it plays a pivotal role in aging and age-related disorders. Recently, it was shown that elimination of senescent cells, so called “senolysis” has potential to become a next generation therapy for age-related disorders including cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary emphysema, Alzheimer's diseases, etc. However, currently there is no senolytic agent available in clinical settings. Purpose Present study was aimed to identify a novel senolytic agent effective for cardiometabolic diseases in compounds already available in clinical settings. Here we demonstrate a compound called “seno-7284” exhibits senolytic effect in murine models of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and progeroid. Methods We generated 1) diet-induced obase and diabetic model by imposing a high fat diet for two months, 2) atherosclerosis mice model by imposing western diet to ApoE homozygous knockout mice (ApoE-KO mice) for three months, and 3) Zmpste24 homozygous knockout mice (Zmpste24-KO mice) as a progeroid mice model. We administrated seno-7284 by mixing it into the diet (0.03% w/w). In one, two or four weeks after the administration of seno-7284 to each mice model, we collected tissue samples for further analyses. Results Seno-7284 reduced the accumulation of senescent cells in visceral adipose tissue of dietary obese mice as senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) staining exhibits (Figure a). This effect was associated with the suppression in systemic glucose intolerance (Figure b), and adipose tissue inflammation in four weeks after the administration of seno-7284. Administrating seno-7284 for two weeks also reduced accumulation of senescent cells in atherosclerotic lesion in aorta of ApoE-KO mice (Figure c), and inhibited the progression of atherosclerosis (Figure d). Surprisingly, this drug significantly improved the lifespan of Zmpste24-KO mice by administering it from 12 weeks old. Further analysis including RNA-seq or metabolomic analysis suggested that seno-7284 stimulates endogenous senolytic function of NK cells and CD8+ T cells. Conclusion Our results indicate that seno-7284 mediates its biological effects by inducing senolysis in some murine aging models. Seno-7284 would become a promising therapeutic agent for age-related cardiometabolic diseases.

We have developed a broadband corrugated horn in the 120–270 GHz and a horn array in the 80–180 GHz bands. The geometry of corrugations is so simple that the horn array can be directly machined from a bulk of aluminum with an end mill. The cross polarization and near sidelobe levels are less than $-$ 20 and $-$ 30 dB, respectively. The return loss is less than $-$ 15 dB in most design frequency bands, and the beam pattern is symmetric. The beam pattern and the return loss are measured in the 120–170 GHz range at room temperature. They are in good agreement with the simulation. It is possible to reduce reflection at the aperture surface and to reduce the weight by carving the unnecessary part. This design provides an octave bandwidth of the corrugated horn array at reasonable machining time.

We developed several new Cu-Sn-Zn-(Ti) alloys, which are so-called “CSZ alloy,” for practical bronze-processed Nb 3 Sn wires. Several CSZ alloys were fabricated via the Mizuta method. The Zn was uniformly dissolved in the α phase of the Cu-Sn alloy, and the Zn-Ti compounds were not found in the CSZ alloy. Various 19 Nb-filament CSZ Nb 3 Sn precursor wires were fabricated using CSZ matrices with different Sn and Zn nominal compositions. We also found that the CSZ/Nb composites showed excellent workability at room temperature. In this paper, changes in microstructure and superconducting properties of Nb 3 Sn wires with different CSZ matrices as a function of the heat treatment condition were investigated. We clearly observed that the amount of Zn in the matrix remained constant after the Nb 3 Sn formation. Thicker Nb 3 Sn layers were formed by the Zn addition. T c transitions of about 18 K have been obtained. Finally, we have succeeded in fabricating multifilamentary wires using CSZ matrices through the restacking method. The number of Nb filaments is 7771 with a diameter of 3.4 μm. The effect of the Zn addition on microstructures and superconducting property of the CSZ wires are also reported.

Dystocia adversely affects the health of calves and their dams. The aim of this study was to determine whether the ventral tail base surface temperature (ST) could be used to predict calving time in dairy cows. Pregnant Holstein cows were enrolled during the warm season (daily average air temperature 10-20°C; n=13) and cool season (daily average air temperature

The Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope has commenced science observations of the Sun starting in late 2016. Since the Sun is much larger than the field of view of individual ALMA dishes, the ALMA interferometer is unable to measure the background level of solar emission when observing the solar disk. The absolute temperature scale is a critical measurement for much of ALMA solar science, including the understanding of energy transfer through the solar atmosphere, the properties of prominences, and the study of shock heating in the chromosphere. In order to provide an absolute temperature scale, ALMA solar observing will take advantage of the remarkable fast-scanning capabilities of the ALMA 12m dishes to make single-dish maps of the full Sun. This article reports on the results of an extensive commissioning effort to optimize the mapping procedure, and it describes the nature of the resulting data. Amplitude calibration is discussed in detail: a path that utilizes the two loads in the ALMA calibration system as well as sky measurements is described and applied to commissioning data. Inspection of a large number of single-dish datasets shows significant variation in the resulting temperatures, and based on the temperature distributions we derive quiet-Sun values at disk center of 7300 K at lambda=3 mm and 5900 K at lambda=1.3 mm. These values have statistical uncertainties of order 100 K, but systematic uncertainties in the temperature scale that may be significantly larger. Example images are presented from two periods with very different levels of solar activity. At a resolution of order 25 arcsec, the 1.3 mm wavelength images show temperatures on the disk that vary over about a 2000 K range., Comment: Solar Physics, accepted: 24 pages, 13 figures

Flow chambers are increasingly used to model thrombus formation in (patho)physiologically inspired geometries and conditions. The flexible design enabled by microfluidics and the variety of commercially available devices makes comparisons between flow chambers challenging [1]. There is also a need to make faithful comparisons between these in vitro models and animal models. Dimensional analysis and scaling provide a rigorous method for making these comparisons. Scaling is a mathematical tool used to simplify, characterize and design systems based on their dimensions and dynamics. Scaling arguments to describe biophysical mechanisms that regulate thrombus growth have recently appeared in hematology journals [2,3]. In practise, scaling involves selecting important dimensional and dynamic parameters and forming dimensionless groups that characterize a system [4]. These dimensionless groups determine the relative importance of geometric features, forces and rates. The purpose of this Communication is to provide a primer on scaling and provide recommendations for reporting and calculating relevant dimensionless groups in flow models of thrombus formation.

Objective: In this study, we develop methods to measure galvanotaxis of fibroblasts and determined the optimum conditions of electrical stimulation. Method: an inverted 35mm dish containing cell suspensions (3×10 5 primary human skin fibroblasts, DMEM, and 10% FBS) was placed on the centre of a 100mm dish. The 35mm dish was removed 24 hours later, and culture medium was added to the 100mm dish. Fibroblasts were randomised (double-blind) into three groups, where electrical stimulation was given at varying intensities: 0μa (control), 50μa, and 100μa. Electrical stimulation (frequency = 0.3Hz) was conducted, for a duration of 4 hours, with platinum electrodes in a Co2 incubator. We took pictures immediately before and 20 hours after stimulation. We calculated the migration ratio to the negative pole by dividing the area of attached fibroblasts after stimulation with that before stimulation. Results: The migration ratio to the negative pole was significantly higher in the 100μa group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The ratios were 0.902 ± 0.292 in the control group, 1.128 ± 0.253 in the 50μA group, and 1.245 ± 0.300 in the 100μA group. Conclusion: This study observed the change in cell proliferation during the initial 24-hour period after plating and was thus able to quantitatively evaluate the migration. The results suggest that a low-intensity direct current promotes migration to the negative pole of human dermal fibroblasts, which is charged with positive electricity. Several clinical reports using the methods in this study showed the microcurrent efficacy for pressure ulcer healing. Electrical stimulation based on our in vitro experiment might be important for the development of physical therapy for pressure ulcers. Declaration of interest: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. There were no external sources of funding for this study.

Mastitis is a common infectious disease of the mammary gland and a major problem in the dairy industry. We previously reported that forebrain embryonic zinc finger-like (FEZL) encoding a stretch of 12 glycines (p.Gly105[12]) instead of 13 glycines (p.Gly105[13]) is associated with a lower somatic cell score (SCS) in a family derived from Walkway Chief Mark. Here we report that the p.Gly105[12] allele is associated with a significantly decreased incidence of clinical mastitis in a large Holstein population. We genotyped the FEZL polymorphism in 918 randomly collected Holstein sires, and investigated the effect of the polymorphism on the estimated breeding value (EBV) for SCS and milk, fat, solids-not-fat, and protein yield, and on the number of cattle with clinical mastitis among daughters derived from these sires. The average EBV for SCS among sires carrying the heterozygous p.Gly105[12] was significantly lower than that among sires carrying the homozygous p.Gly105[13], whereas we found no unfavorable effects of this polymorphism on EBV for milk, fat, solids-not-fat, and protein yield. The proportion of cows with clinical mastitis derived from sires carrying heterozygous p.Gly105[12] was significantly lower than that of daughters derived from sires carrying the homozygous p.Gly105[13]. Thus, selection of sires carrying p.Gly105[12] could be beneficial in the dairy industry by reducing the incidence of mastitis.