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Resume But de l’etude La sphincterotomie interne laterale reste la technique standard des fissures anales chroniques, meme si d’autres techniques se sont revelees efficaces. L’incontinence fecale est une complication documentee de la sphincterotomie. Nous decrivons, ici, une technique de sphincterotomie interne posterieure ouverte avec lambeau cutane. Le but de cette etude etait d’analyser les resultats de cette technique chirurgicale. Methodes Il s’agit d’une etude retrospective observationnelle a un bras. La sphincterotomie interne posterieure ouverte + lambeau cutane etait faite pour fissure associee a une stenose anale. La technique comportait une incision posterieure du sphincter interne jusqu’a pouvoir passer 4 doigts dans le canal. L’incision etait refermee en anastomosant la muqueuse a la peau perineale. Ensuite, une incision arciforme etait faite pour creer un lambeau cutane qui etait avance dans le canal anal. Le suivi postoperatoire etait fait par des consultations cliniques et appels telephoniques. L’incontinence anale etait evaluee par le score de Cleveland Clinic Faecal Incontinence (CCFI). Resultats La sphincterotomie interne posterieure ouverte + lambeau cutane etait faite chez 143 patients, dont l’âge moyen etait de 50 ± 16 ans. Les taux de succes et de recidive apres sphincterotomie interne posterieure ouverte + lambeau cutane etaient respectivement de 99 % et 0,7 %, avec un suivi median de 16,3 annees. Un patient a presente une incontinence aux selles liquides 6 mois apres la chirurgie. Le score CCFI postoperatoire moyen etait de 0,5 ± 0,9. Conclusion Cette etude montre que la sphincterotomie interne posterieure ouvert + lambeau cutane est une technique efficace dans la prise en charge des fissures anales avec stenose, grâce a un taux eleve de reussite, et faible de recidives ou complications a type d’incontinence fecale.

The Southern Ocean is a major sink of atmospheric CO2, but the nature and magnitude of its variability remains uncertain and debated. Estimates based on observations suggest substantial variability that is not reproduced by process-based ocean models, with increasingly divergent estimates over the past decade. We examine potential constraints on the nature and magnitude of climate-driven variability of the Southern Ocean CO2 sink from observation-based air-sea O2 fluxes. On interannual time scales, the variability in the air-sea fluxes of CO2 and O2 estimated from observations is consistent across the two species and positively correlated with the variability simulated by ocean models. Our analysis suggests that variations in ocean ventilation related to the Southern Annular Mode are responsible for this interannual variability. On decadal time scales, the existence of significant variability in the air-sea CO2 flux estimated from observations also tends to be supported by observation-based estimates of O2 flux variability. However, the large decadal variability in air-sea CO2 flux is absent from ocean models. Our analysis suggests that issues in representing the balance between the thermal and non-thermal components of the CO2 sink and/or insufficient variability in mode water formation might contribute to the lack of decadal variability in the current generation of ocean models. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Heat and carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean: the state of the art and future priorities'., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 381 (2249), ISSN:1364-503X, ISSN:1471-2962

Background/Purpose Worsening renal function (WRF) can sometimes occur in the patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality (1). In a previous study, it was reported that fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) reflects net sodium reabsorption from nephron segments and predicts WRF during treating ADHF (2). On the other hand, recently the new drugs which approach urine concentration mechanism and affect urine osmolality (U-OSM), such as tolvaptan and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, have begun to be widely used as treatment of heart failure. Thus, we focused on U-OSM, which reflects not only sodium handling but also water excretion controlled by the collecting duct, and evaluated the association between WRF and U-OSM. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that FENa, fractional excretion of urea nitrogen and transtubular potassium concentration gradient are markers for long-term prognosis in patients with ADHF (3–5). Therefore, we also studied whether U-OSM can predict prognosis in ADHF. Methods A total of 157 patients admitted to our hospital because of a primary diagnosis of ADHF from February 2020 through July 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. U-OSM in the spot urinary samples were examined within 72 hours after admission. U-OSM was calculated based on the following validated formula (6): U-OSM = 1.07 × {2 × [urine sodium (mEq/L)] + [urine urea nitrogen (mg/dL)]/2.8 + [urine creatinine (mg/dl)] × 2/3} + 16.2. The primary outcome was the occurrence of WRF during hospitalization. WRF was defined as increased serum creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL from baseline (7). The secondary outcome was the occurrence of ADHF readmission and all-cause death within 180 days after discharge. Results Primary Outcome. WRF developed in 46% of all patients. In the patients that developed WRF during hospitalization, U-OSM was significantly lower than in the patients without WRF (366±106 mOsm/L versus 430±128 mOsm/L; P Secondary Outcome. There were 34 patients (22%) readmitted and 9 patients (6%) died within 180 days after discharge. ROC curve analysis revealed the optimal cutoff values of U-OSM as 349 mOsm/L (C-statistic 0.74; 95% CI: 0.65–0.83; P Conclusion U-OSM on admission may be a predictor of WRF and a prognostic marker in ADHF patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background Impella has been increasingly used in patients with cardiogenic shock (CGS). Target values for clinical indices for appropriate management of Impella have not yet been established. Purpose We aimed to elucidate the association between heat rate (HR) during Impella treatment in patients with CGS and clinical outcomes. Methods and results We retrospectively evaluated 62 patients (68±14 years; male 77%) with CGS receiving temporary circulatory support with the Impella between February 1, 2019, and February 31, 2021. The primary end point was 30-day mortality. Clinical characteristics, laboratory and hemodynamic markers at implantation of Impella (baseline), 12, 24 hr after implantation, and removal of Impella were assessed. There were 28 patients with concomitant use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Treatment periods using Impella were 8±6 days. After excluding 11 patients who died during Impella support, the relationship between clinical indicators at each time points and 30-day mortality was evaluated. There were 22 patients (43%) with 30-day mortality. Factors associated with 30-day mortality were: female, ECMO, higher 24-hr lactate level, lower 24-hr cardiac power output, and higher HR at removal. Lower HR of ≤81 bpm at removal was found to most accurately predict lower 30-day mortality (Figure 1). Higher increases in dose of beta-blockers during Impella support and lower absolute doses of norepinephrine at removal were correlated with decreases in HR during Impella support. Conclusions In patients with CGS treated with Impella, lower HR at removal was associated with lower incidence of 30-day mortality. Lowering HR during Impella treatment was recognized as a simple indicator for favorable clinical outcomes in patients with CGS. It was suggested that chronotropic interventions during Impella treatment may be novel therapeutic options in patients with CGS. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1

Summary Aim Lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) remains a standard for chronic anal fissure even though other surgical techniques have shown high efficacy. Faecal incontinence is a well-documented complication of LIS. We devised modified open posterior internal sphincterotomy (m-OPIS) with sliding skin graft (SSG), which is a combined procedure of OPIS and anal advancement flap. The aim of this study is to evaluate m-OPIS + SSG. Methods This was a retrospective, observational, single-arm study. m-OPIS + SSG was performed for chronic anal fissure and anal stenosis. m-OPIS involved incision of the internal sphincter muscle at the posterior midline until four fingers could be passed. The incision wound was closed by anastomosis of the anoderm and skin. Then, an arcuate skin incision was created and the skin graft was advanced into the anal canal. Follow-up was conducted by clinical consultation and telephone interview. Faecal continence was assessed by Cleveland Clinic Faecal Incontinence (CCFI) score. Results m-OPIS + SSG was performed in 143 patients. The mean patient age was 50 ± 16 years. The success and overall recurrence rates after m-OPIS + SSG were 99% and 0.7%, respectively, with a median follow-up period of 16.3 years. One patient developed incontinence with liquid stools once during the 6-month period. None of the other patients suffered permanent faecal incontinence postoperatively. The postoperative CCFI score was 0.5 ± 0.9. Conclusions We consider m-OPIS + SSG as one of the efficacious options of procedure for chronic anal fissure and anal stenosis, owing to its high success rate, low recurrence rate and no postoperative complication of serious faecal incontinence.

Background Polymer- and carrier-free Biolimus-A9-coated stent (DCS) is expected better vascular healing compared with conventional durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES). Moreover, DCS had been demonstrated in clinical trials to allow one-month short dual antiplatelet therapy, which might achieve sufficient healing at only 1 month after implantation. However, the process of vascular healing after DCS implantation has not been elucidated by angioscopic observation. Purpose To evaluate the process of vascular healing at 1 month and 12 months after DCS implantation. Methods This study included 57 patients treated with DCS or durable polymer everolimus-eluting stents (EES) in our hospital from April 2017 to April 2019. Firstly, the angioscopic findings of DCS at 1 month (n=16) and 12 months (n=14) after implantation were respectively compared with EES at 12 months after implantation (EES-12, n=35) as a standard healing status of DES. Secondary, angioscopic findings of DCS at 1 month and 12 months after implantation were compared among the serially observed eight patients. Neointimal coverage (NIC) grade, yellow colour grade, and the presence of thrombus were evaluated. NIC grade was classified as grade 0 (no neointimal coverage), grade 1 (struts were bulged into lumen but covered), grade 2 (struts were embedded in the neointima but visible), or grade 3 (struts were fully embedded and invisible). Yellow colour grade was classified as grade 0 (white), grade 1 (light yellow), grade 2 (yellow), or grade 3 (intensive yellow). Results At 1 month after DCS implantation, dominant NIC grade was lower (0.3±0.5 vs. 1.5±0.7, p Conclusion Compared with EES-12, vascular healing of DCS was inferior at 1 month but superior at 12 months. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Background Although transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is widely used for estimating left ventricular stroke volume (SV), accelerated blood flow in the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract may lead to overestimation. SV can be calculated accurately from left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volume determined by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). However, radiation exposure as well as the use of contrast medium hampers its routine use. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether the correction of SV measured by pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography (SVdop) can accurately predicts SV obtained by MDCT (SVct). Methods： We enrolled consecutive 61 patients who underwent both MDCT and transthoracic echocardiography. Patients with moderate or severe valvular diseases and valve replacement surgery were excluded. Correction of SV was explored with SVct as a reference. Results： Univariate analysis showed that SVdop (r = 0.42, P = 0.0007) and patient age (r=-0.50, P Conclusion： The new correction formula of SVdop may correct the overestimation of SV obtained by pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography, although the formula remains to be validated in a separate cohort of patients. Abstract P92 Figure

[Background]“Cellular senescence” is a state in which cells undergo irreversible cell cycle arrest in response to various cellular stresses. Senescence is induced in not only normal cells but also cancer cells when anti-cancer agents trigger DNA damage. Recent studies have revealed additional feature of senescent cells: increased secretion of various secretory proteins, such as inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and MMPs. This newly recognized senescent phenotype, termed senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), reportedly contribute to tumor recurrence and promotion. Alternatively, senescent cancer cells could be good targets in anti-cancer immunotherapy because they are cell cycle-arrested. [Objective]In this study, we determined whether ”cellular senescence” could be induced by a chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DXR) and whether senescent cancer cells might increase their susceptibility to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes using human breast cancer cells. [Methods and Results]A triple-negative (negative for ER, PR, and HER2) human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) was used. This cell line was treated with DXR for 2 days and examined for their appearance microscopically. The DXR treatment (500 nM) decreased their proliferating ability and increased their cell size. Colony formation assay revealed that cancer cells significantly decreased the number of colonies even with lower doses (3 nM) of DXR. In immunoblot assay, the DXR treatment increased the protein expression of p21, which inhibits cell cycle. In a flow cytometric assay after staining with SPIDER-β-gal, the DXR treatment (500 nM) increased the expression of β-gal in MDA-MB-231 cells. The induction of SA-β-gal in DXR-treated cancer cells were also confirmed by confocal imaging. In addition, the DXR treatment (500 nM) for 2 days beforehand increased their subsequent ability to produce IL-6 and IL-8. Although the DXR treatment (500 nM) decreased the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on cancer cells, this treatment sensitized them to anti-EGFR chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-lymphocytes in apoptosis assay. [Conclusion]These results suggest that a chemotherapeutic drug DXR can render MDA-MB-231 cells to be senescent and increase their sensitivity to antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. These findings may provide a rationale of combination of chemotherapy and T cell-based anti-cancer immunotherapy. Citation Format: Inao T, Iida Y, Kotani H, Harada M. Doxorubicin induces cellular senescence in human breast cancer cells and sensitizes them to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-06-28.

Aim Rectal prolapse (RP) is usually associated with elderly women and is well recognized as having a detrimental effect on quality of life. A number of surgical procedures for RP are available, but morbidity and mortality are substantial. The Gant-Miwa-Thiersch procedure (GMT) has been frequently used for RP in Japan. However, as GMT has a high recurrence rate it is not widely used elsewhere. The aim of this study was to evaluate a modified version of GMT (mGMT) in comparison with other procedures. Method mGMT was performed under spinal or local anaesthesia in 187 patients with RP. No normal mucosa was left between the tags and lateral wounds were created in the Thiersch procedure. Morbidity, mortality and recurrence rates were recorded. Results No serious postoperative complications and no operative deaths occurred after mGMT. Eight per cent of patients suffered from infection of the strings. The overall recurrence rate after mGMT was 7.5% with a median follow-up period of 13.8 years. Conclusion On the basis of these results, we consider that mGMT has a number of advantages: it is minimally invasive, does not require general anaesthesia, is technically simple to perform and is associated with satisfactory outcomes and low morbidity. mGMT should be considered an option for the treatment of RP in elderly patients.

Resistance and magnetic torque measurements are reported in a layered organic superconductor, $\ensuremath{\beta}''\ensuremath{-}{(\mathrm{BEDT}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{TTF})}_{4}[({\mathrm{H}}_{3}\mathrm{O})\mathrm{Ga}{({\mathrm{C}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}]{\mathrm{C}}_{6}{\mathrm{H}}_{5}{\mathrm{NO}}_{2}$ with ${T}_{c}=4.8$ K, where BEDT-TTF stands for bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene. Because of the large anion between the BEDT-TTF conducting layers, the superconductivity of this salt is highly anisotropic. In magnetic fields parallel to the conducting layers for $T=0.4$ K, the magnetic torque shows a large diamagnetic signal associated with hysteresis up to $\ensuremath{\sim}21$ T, suggesting the upper critical field ${H}_{c2}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}21$ T at 0.4 K. The large reduction of the diamagnetic signal is observed above 16 T, which shows a Fulde and Ferrell and Larkin and Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase transition. For $T=0.5$ K, the interlayer resistance has nonzero value in a wide field region up to ${H}_{c2}$, arising from the Josephson vortex dynamics. Successive dips in the second derivative curves of the resistance are observed between 16 T and ${H}_{c2}$, which are ascribed to the commensurability effect between the Josephson vortex lattice and the order parameter oscillation of the FFLO phase. The commensurability effect is observed only in nearly parallel fields, showing that the FFLO phase is stable in a very limited field angle region. The temperature-field phase diagram is determined.

In this study, we propose a new image display method to obtain high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) using energy resolved photon-counting mammography (ERPCM) with a cadmium telluride (CdTe) series detector manufactured by JOB CORPOLATION. The CdTe series detector can detect high-energy photons with high sensitivity, enabling users to image with high-energy X-rays. Using this detector, it is possible to reduce the dose given to a patient while increasing the CNR. First, the spectrum was divided into three bins and their corresponding linear attenuation coefficients were calculated from input and output photon numbers. Further, absorption vector length (AVL) and average absorption length (AAL) were calculated from the linear attenuation coefficients and from thicknesses of objects after beam-hardening correction. We further compared the CNR between ERPCM and general mammography images under the constant average glandular dose (AGD). We imaged an acrylic plate (1 mm thick) on RMI-156 phantom, determined regions of interest (ROIs) on an acrylic plate and background, and calculated the CNR. Our ERPCM generated two types of images: an AVL image and an AAL image. AMULET Innovality manufactured by FUJIFILM generated an integrated image. MicroDose SI manufactured by Philips generated a count image and removed electrical noise by the photon-counting technique. The four images, in order of decreasing CNR, were the AAL image, AVL image, MicroDose image, and AMULET image. The proposed method using ERPCM generated an image with higher CNR than images using general mammography under the constant AGD.

Egyptian basalt rock was used to prepare some glasses with different additives of Na2O by the melt quenching method. The prepared glasses were characterized applying FTIR, XRD and Mossbauer Effect (ME) spectroscopy. XRD indicated that all the samples showed a homogeneous glassy phase except the sample containing 35 mol % of Na2O which showed a very small crystalline phase of less than 5 %. FTIR measurements indicated the presence of various structural units including SiO4, FeO4 and AlO4. ME hyperfine parameters indicated the presence of both Fe2+and Fe3+in the low Na2O content glasses (the first three samples), while the iron in the high Na2O content glasses (the last three samples) showed only the Fe3+ state. All the glass samples were heated at 900°C for 6 h, of which XRD analysis showed different crystallites of nanometer size. ME spectra of the heat-treated (HT) samples indicated the presence of magnesium ferrites as confirmed by XRD study.

The Effect of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training/EMST is reported not only to strengthen the respiratory muscle, but also improve the ability to swallow, and activate superficial muscles of the suprahyoid muscle group. Effects on the improvement in aspiration have not been fully determined yet.

Corrosion experiments of a carbon steel plate embedded in bentonite mixture were conducted to verify our models assessing Eh evolution induced by corrosion of carbon steel overpack. The experimental results showed that the Eh decreased for the first 200 days and was subsequently stabilised at around −450 mV; corrosion products were identified as magnetite and Fe was present mostly as divalent Fe within a 5 mm range from the carbon steel plate. Reactive transport modelling was performed to assess the Eh evolution in the system using kinetic dissolution model for metallic iron and thermodynamic equilibrium models for other chemical reactions and closely reproduced the experimental results. The models were verified only under the conditions employed in this study.

We have started a simulation study of background plasma in the GAMMA 10 west end-cell using fluid-code in order to understand divertor simulation experiment. This fluid code is B2 code without including the effects of drifts and currents. In this paper, we obtained the effects of additional neutral particles density. As increasing amount of additional neutral particle density, ion and electron temperature decrease and plasma density builds up. Especially, the peak of plasma density moves from z = 10.04 m from z = 10.1 m. However, electron temperature does not decrease detachment front for high ion temperature. Therefore, it needs that ion temperature is decreased. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Atomic helium (He I) optical emission spectroscopy was carried out in a MAP-II divertor simulator to investigate the applicability of He I collisional-radiative (CR) model for the measurement of electron temperature ( T e ) and density ( n e ) in He–H 2 mixture plasmas. The result was compared with Langmuir probe measurements. The excited population distribution of the He–H 2 mixture plasma was not reproduced by the He I CR model, although it was reproduced well for pure He and He–Ar mixture plasma. Specifically, the deviation of the population ratio of singlet to triplet states became more evident as the concentration of H 2 increased. This fact implies that the measurement of T e for He–H 2 plasma using the He I CR model could lead to a significant error under a certain condition, such that T e

We studied the diffusive transport of Cs, Np, Am and Co in compacted sandbentonite mixtures by using the through-diffusion method. The experiments for Cs were performed under various aqueous compositions. Effective diffusivity (De) values of 4.7×10–10 to 5.9×10–9 m2 s–1 were obtained with a somewhat large variation. Apparent diffusivity (Da) values, on the other hand, showed less variation, ranging from 2.0×10–12 to 6.2×10–12 m2 s–1. The results indicated that diffusive flux was proportional to the concentration gradient on the basis of the amount of Cs in the unit volume of the compacted sand-bentonite mixtures rather than the Cs concentration gradient in pore water. Because the former concentration gradient in the mixtures was nearly equal to that of adsorbed Cs, the diffusion of Cs in the mixtures was probably dominated by the concentration gradient of the Cs adsorbed on the mixtures. In addition, the effective/apparent diffusivity of 237Np(IV) and apparent diffusivity of 241Am(III) and 60Co(II) in the mixtures were determined in 0.3/0.03 mol l–1 (NH4)2CO3/Na2S2O4 solution.

The magnetic field-induced changes in the conductivity of metals are the subject of intense interest, both for revealing new phenomena and as a valuable tool for determining their Fermi surface. Here, we report a hitherto unobserved magnetoresistive effect in ultra-clean layered metals, namely a negative longitudinal magnetoresistance that is capable of overcoming their very pronounced orbital one. This effect is correlated with the inter-layer coupling disappearing for fields applied along the so-called Yamaji angles where the inter-layer coupling vanishes. Therefore, it is intrinsically associated with the Fermi points in the field-induced quasi-one-dimensional electronic dispersion, implying that it results from the axial anomaly among these Fermi points. In its original formulation, the anomaly is predicted to violate separate number conservation laws for left- and right-handed chiral- (e.g. Weyl) fermions. Its observation in PdCoO$_2$, PtCoO$_2$ and Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ suggests that the anomaly affects the transport of clean conductors, particularly near the quantum limit., Comment: Nature Communications (in press)

The development of a quadratic programming formulation for the solution of layered elastic contact problems in the presence of friction is presented in this paper. Conveyor belts, tyred wheels, composite cylinders, and conrod bearings, are classical examples of systems which can be studied using the efficient numerical methodology proposed here. In this type of mechanical assembly, micro-slip between the mating surfaces often occurs and may eventually lead to system failure. Accurately capturing the evolution of slip and stick areas using a computationally inexpensive procedure (as an alternative to full finite element analysis) is therefore key to preventing these failures and to improving the design of various engineering components. The proposed approach is first tested and validated against classical marching-in-time solutions for two-dimensional layered systems in the presence of both static and moving loads. Results are then extended to demonstrate the feasibility of the technique to study systems with multiple slip regions and to solve rolling contact problems of practical interest. Finally, the numerical methodology is successfully applied to the prediction of frictional creep of tyred cylinders. Experimental corroboration has been obtained by testing tyred discs.

The purpose of this work is to develop a new analytical method for simulating the microscopic mechanical property of the cross-linked polymer system using the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. This new analytical method will be utilized for the molecular designing of the tire rubber compound to improve the tire performances such as rolling resistance and wet traction. First, we evaluate the microscopic dynamic viscoelastic properties of the cross-linked polymer using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. This simulation has been conducted by the coarse-grained molecular dynamics program in the OCTA) (http://octa.jp/). To simplify the problem, we employ the bead-spring model, in which a sequence of beads connected by springs denotes a polymer chain. The linear polymer chains that are cross-linked by the cross-linking agents express the three-dimensional cross-linked polymer network. In order to obtain the microscopic dynamic viscoelastic properties, oscillatory deformation is applied to the simulation cell. By applying the time-temperature reduction law to this simulation result, we can evaluate the dynamic viscoelastic properties in the wide deformational frequency range including the rubbery state. Then, the stress is separated into the nonbonding stress and the bonding stress. We confirm that the contribution of the nonbonding stress is larger at lower temperatures. On the other hand, the contribution of the bonding stress is larger at higher temperatures. Finally, analyzing a change of microscopic structure in dynamic oscillatory deformation, we determine that the temperature/frequency dependence of bond stress response to a dynamic oscillatory deformation depends on the temperature dependence of the average bond length in the equilibrium structure and the temperature/frequency dependence of bond orientation. We show that our simulation is a useful tool for studying the microscopic properties of a cross-linked polymer.

A large number of cometary dust particles were captured with low-density silica aerogels by NASA’s Stardust Mission. Knowledge of the details of the capture mechanism of hypervelocity particles in silica aerogel is needed in order to correctly derive the original particle features from impact tracks. However, the mechanism has not been fully understood yet. We shot hard spherical projectiles of several different materials into silica aerogel of density 60 mg cm −3 and observed their penetration processes using an image converter or a high-speed video camera. In order to observe the deceleration of projectiles clearly, we carried out impact experiments at two velocity ranges; ∼4 km s −1 and ∼200 m s −1 . From the movies we took, it was indicated that the projectiles were decelerated by hydrodynamic force which was proportional to v 2 ( v : projectile velocity) during the faster penetration process (∼4 km s −1 ) and they were merely overcoming the aerogel crushing strength during the slower penetration process (∼200 m s −1 ). We applied these deceleration mechanisms for whole capture process to calculate the track length. Our model well explains the track length in the experimental data set by Burchell et al. (Burchell, M.J., Creighton, J.A., Cole, M.J., Mann, J., Kearsley, A.T. [2001]. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 36, 209–221).

– We investigated three-dimensional structures of comet Wild 2 coma particle impact tracks using synchrotron radiation (SR) X-ray microtomography at SPring-8 to elucidate the nature of comet Wild 2 coma dust particles captured in aerogel by understanding the capture process. All tracks have a similar entrance morphology, indicating a common track formation process near the entrance by impact shock propagation irrespective of impactor materials. Distributions of elements along the tracks were simultaneously measured using SR-XRF. Iron is distributed throughout the tracks, but it tends to concentrate in the terminal grains and at the bottoms of bulbs. Based on these results, we propose an impact track formation process. We estimate the densities of cometary dust particles based on the hypothesis that the kinetic energy of impacting dust particles is proportional to the track volume. The density of 148 cometary dust particles we investigated ranges from 0.80 to 5.96 g cm−3 with an average of 1.01 (±0.25) g cm−3. Moreover, we suggest that less fragile crystalline particles account for approximately 5 vol% (20 wt%) of impacting particles. This value of crystalline particles corresponds to that of chondrules and CAIs, which were transported from the inner region of the solar system to the outer comet-forming region. Our results also suggest the presence of volatile components, such as organic material and perhaps ice, in some bulbous tracks (type-C).

Three-dimensional structures and elemental abundances of four impact tracks in silica aerogel keystones of Stardust samples from comet 81P/Wild 2 (bulbous track 67 and carrot-type tracks 46, 47, and 68) were examined non-destructively by synchrotron radiation-based microtomography and X-ray fluorescence analysis. Track features, such as lengths, volumes and width as a function of track depth, were obtained quantitatively by tomography. A bulbous portion was present near the track entrance even in carrot-type tracks. Each impact of a cometary dust particle results in the particle disaggregated into small pieces that were widely distributed on the track walls as well as at its terminal. Fe, S, Ca, Ni, and eight minor elements are concentrated in the bulbous portion of track 68 as well as in terminal grains. It was confirmed that bulbous portions and thin tracks were formed by disaggregation of very fine fragile materials and relatively coarse crystalline particles, respectively. The almost constant ratio of whole Fe mass to track volume indicates that the track volume is almost proportional to the impact kinetic energy. The size of the original impactor was estimated from the absolute Fe mass by assuming its Fe content (CI) and bulk density. Relations between the track sizes normalized by the impactor size and impact conditions are roughly consistent with those of previous hypervelocity impact experiments.

A case of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the tongue base is described. It was characterized by solid tumor nests with central necrosis and rosette formation resembling basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that this tumor had neuroendocrine differentiation. It was diagnosed as LCNEC of the tongue base. Pulmonary LCNEC is a well-established entity, but LCNEC also occurs in other organs. This is the first report of mucosal LCNEC in the oral cavity. Basal cells in the normal squamous epithelium around the tumor indicated positivity for neural cell adhesion molecule and N-cadherin. These cells were considered neuroendocrine-related cells in the lingual squamous epithelium, which are related to the tumorigenesis of mucosal LCNEC in the tongue base.

We demonstrated the polycrystallization process of N,N'-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-1,1'-diphenyl-1,4'-diamine (NPD) and N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1'-diphenyl-4,4'-diamine (TPD), which is well known as a hole transport material, and the availability of the organic alloy method fabricated by co-evaporation method. We fabricated multi-layer structure of NPD and TPD: especially bilayer as a basic and typical structure. One is TPD layer on NPD layer (T/N specimen) and the other is NPD layer on TPD layer (N/T specimen). The polycrystallization of bilayer structure specimens is suppressed as compared with organic NPD:TPD=1:1 alloy specimen. Especially the T/N specimen is found to be stable in an amorphous region. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

This paper describes the effect of doping on the composition, surface morphology and optical, structural and electrical properties of Al doped ZnO thin films by pulsed laser deposition. SEM analysis shows that the crystalline nature of the deposited films decreases with an increase of Al doping concentration from 1% to 6%. In the AFM analysis, the surface roughness of the deposited films increases by increasing the doping concentration of Al. Al doping strongly influences the optical properties of the ZnO thin films. Optical transmittance spectra show a very good transmittance in the visible region (450–700 nm). The calculated optical band gap was found to be in the range from 3.405 to 3.464 eV. Structural analysis confirms that the increases of Al concentration decrease the crystallinity of the ZnO films and the particle size decreases from 45.7±0.09 to 28.0±0.02 nm. In the Raman analysis, the active mode of Al(=1%) doped ZnO films were observed at 434.81 cm−1. The shifts of the active mode ( E 2 ) show the presence of tensile stress in the deposited films. The electrical properties of the deposited films showed that the values of the Hall mobility was in the range between 2.51 and 10.64 cm2/V s and the carrier concentration between 15.7 and 0.78×1017 and the resistivity values between 1.59 and 10.97 Ωcm, depending on the doping concentration.

This paper describes the effects of magnetic field on rolling contact performance of steel discs and presents an investigation into the mechanisms governing these effects by applying contact mechanics and magnetism theory.The tests were carried out in disc-on-disc contact configuration using two contact conditions, i.e. pure rolling and rolling with 10% sliding. Also two horizontal static magnetic fields of 0.4 and 1.1 T created by permanent magnets were applied. The results of scanning electron microscopy observations reveal that finer wear particles and smoother worn surfaces are produced in the presence of a magnetic field. The smoother surfaces are also confirmed by surface roughness measurements. For generation of the finer wear particles, it is considered that the subsurface crack initiation point is moved towards the surface due to the magnetic field.Wear amounts are decreased in the magnetic fields under pure rolling conditions. However, at rolling with 10% sliding, the wear amounts are increased in the magnetic fields, even though finer particles and smoother surfaces are observed. Both tendencies are explained by calculating the number of cycles required to generate wear particles, which were reduced due to the magnetic field presence.It is considered, therefore, that domain walls near the contact region are caught by dislocations when the specimen is magnetized and part of the energy for magnetization activates the dislocation movement resulting in crack initiation.

The experimental and modeling studies were conducted on alteration of bentonite buffer materials. The dissolution rate of montmorillonite in, the diffusivity of hydroxide ions in and the hydraulic conductivity of compacted sand–bentonite mixtures were experimentally determined and formulated. Dissolution of montmorillonite followed the linear dependence on time under the employed experimental conditions of a OH - (activity of hydroxide ions) of 0.04–0.57 mol dm −3 and temperatures of 50–170 °C. The slope gave the dissolution rate, R A (Mg m −3 s −1 ). The dissolution rate was a function of pH and temperature, T (K), and expressed as R A = 3.5 ( a OH - ) 1.4 exp ( - 51 000 / RT ) , where R is the gas constant. The effective diffusivity, D e (m 2 s −1 ), of hydroxide ions was found to be in the order of 10 −10 –10 −11 m 2 s −1 at 10–90 °C and expressed as D e = 5.0 × 10 −7 e 2.1 exp(−18 600/ RT ) where e is the porosity. The dependence of hydraulic conductivity, K (m s −1 ), of the sand–bentonite mixtures on the effective montmorillonite dry density, ρ mont (Mg m −3 ), and on the ionic strength of the permeant, I (mol dm −3 ), was identified as K = 1.2 × 10 −7 I 1.5 10 −4.2 ρ mont . A PHREEQC-based, coupled mass-transport/chemical-reaction code (MC-BENT) was developed for predicting hydraulic conductivity of the bentonite buffer by using the formulae for the dissolution rate, the effective diffusivity and the hydraulic conductivity. This code was able to reproduce observed changes in concentrations of major species and montmorillonite contents in the lab-scale experiments on the bentonite alteration, which is indicative of partial verification of our calculation.

The control of polymorphs and crystal habit in the cooling crystallization from an acetonitrile/water mixed solvent for the purification of N 2 -(1(S)-ethoxycarbonyl-3-phenylpropyl)-N 6 -trifluoroacetyl-L-lysine was investigated. The obtained crystals had three polymorphs (I form, II form and III form). The I form is a stable form having the lowest solubility and tends to have a low content of N 2 -(1(S)-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl)-N 6 -trifluoroacetyl-L-lysine (carboxyl derivative). So, the selective crystallization of I form was advantageous in terms of the yield and quality. By adjusting the pH of the crystallization system to between 4.5 and 5.5, but not less than 4.5, that goal could be achieved. Besides the polymorphism, two kinds of crystal habit (prismatic form and granular form) were observed in every polymorph. The selective crystallization of granular form was advantageous from the viewpoint of removal of N 2 -(1(R)-ethoxycarbonyl-3-phenylpropyl)-N 6 -trifluoroacetyl-L-lysine (diastereomer). It could be achieved by carrying out the crystallization under action of vibration or ultrasonic wave.

We have performed ultrahigh-resolution photoemission spectroscopy (PES) on superconducting hexaboride YB6 ( T c = 7.1 K) to investigate the electronic structure in the vicinity of the Fermi level ( E F ). We have succeeded in directly observing the superconducting gap together with a sharp coherent peak in the superconducting state (5 K). From the numerical simulation of the PES spectra by using isotropic Dynes function, we have estimated the size of the superconducting gap to be 0.9 meV, which corresponds to 2 Δ (0)/ k B T c = 3.8 . We found a dip structure around 10 meV with respect to E F in the PES spectrum in the superconducting state. This structure is attributed to the strong coupling feature of electrons with the 10 meV acoustic phonon. These results indicate that YB6 is categorized into phonon-mediated BCS superconductor in the strong or intermediate coupling regime.