Spectral computed tomography (CT) with photon-counting detectors (PCDs) can provide a variety of cross-sectional images, showing improved diagnostic capability at low radiation doses. PCDs acquire ...and divide signals of each energy intensity into separate energy bins and improve the count rate by pixel size miniaturization, which can simultaneously increase spatial resolution. Nevertheless, PCDs do show some limitations in data processing. Acquisition of large-spectrum data requires large spaces of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a memory in each pixel, and this process generates massive amounts of data traffic. The conventional compression techniques used in CT imaging are not suitable for such traffic because they are applied to the CT image data, not the projection data stored by PCDs. This study aimed to secure ADC and memory space and compress the data traffic while maintaining high image resolution by using a number of energy bin's information for computing. This approach was based on a composite method using CT images from high spatial resolution non-spectral CT and low spatial resolution spectral CT. The resolution in non-spectral CT was recognized by assigning grayscale values, while the resolution for spectral CT was maintained with a pseudocolor scale based on visual characteristics. In this paper, we evaluated the image quality against the compression rate to verify our concept.
With the long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) second phase, the promising mechanical properties of the Mg-Zn-Y alloys have been demonstrated. Because the LPSO phase plays an important role in ...strengthening mechanisms and it has the unique 18R crystal structure, it is interesting to clarify the deformation mechanism and size effect associated with this particular phase. In this study, uniaxial compression tests are conducted on LPSO along 112¯0 with different sample sizes. An apparent sample size effect is observed and the plastic deformation behavior of LPSO is found to change from kink to slip when sample size is reduced to a level about 1.8 μm in diameter. The non-basal prismatic slip system is found to operate within the smaller sized micro-pillars, different from the deformation kinking observed in larger sized samples. The probability of forming stair rod dislocations associated with the sample size effect is an important key to explain this change of plastic deformation behavior. It implies that the origin of deformation kink is non-basal prismatic slip.
Display omitted
•The sample size effects in Mg-Zn-Y 18R-LPSO single crystals are examined.•The deformation mechanisms in mini, micro, and nano scales are compared.•The sample size effect is rationalized in terms of deformation mechanisms.
C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice are prototypical Th1- and Th2-type mouse strains, respectively. In the present study, we attempted to characterize the innate immune response of macrophages from these mouse ...strains. Macrophages from C57BL/6 mice produced higher levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin (IL)-12 than those from BALB/c mice after stimulation with macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2, a synthetic TLR-2 ligand) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS, a TLR-4 ligand). The augmented IL-12 production by C57BL/6 macrophages increased interferon-gamma and, in contrast, decreased IL-13 production by CD4+ T cells. On stimulation with MALP-2 or LPS, C57BL/6 macrophages produced lysosomal enzyme and nitric oxide, effector molecules for bacterial killing, whereas BALB/c macrophages did not. Bactericidal activity of BALB/c macrophages was impaired relative to C57BL/6 macrophages when cells were infected with live bacteria in vitro. In a murine model of septic peritonitis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), BALB/c mice failed to facilitate bacterial clearance relative to C57BL/6 mice despite an augmented peritoneal leukocyte infiltration that was associated with increased peritoneal levels of cytokines/chemokines. BALB/c mice exhibited increased plasma and hepatic levels of cytokines/chemokines, resulting in an exaggerated systemic inflammation as determined by acute-phase proteins. Finally, BALB/c mice were vulnerable to CLP-induced lethality relative to C57BL/6 mice. Altogether, innate immune response of macrophages is different between these mouse strains, which may affect the development of Th1 and Th2 adaptive immunity in these strains. Reduced systemic inflammatory response in C57BL/6 mice that may result from an eminent local response appears to be beneficial during sepsis.
Recent numerical simulations suggest that as soon as the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability (KHI) has grown nonlinearly to form a highly rolled‐up vortex, plasma mixing is inevitably achieved within the ...vortex. Identification of rolled‐up vortices by in situ measurements is therefore an important task as a step to establish the mechanism by which solar wind plasmas enter the magnetosphere and to understand conditions under which the vortices form. In the present study we show that the rolled‐up vortices are detectable even from single‐spacecraft measurements. Numerical simulations of the KHI indicate that in the rolled‐up vortex the tailward speed of a fraction of low‐density, magnetospheric plasmas exceeds that of the magnetosheath flow. This feature appears only after a vortex is rolled up and thus can be used as a marker of roll‐up. This signature was indeed found in the Cluster multispacecraft measurements of the rolled‐up vortices at the flank magnetopause. By use of this marker, we have searched for events consistent with the roll‐up from Geotail observations showing quasi‐periodic plasma and field fluctuations in the flank low‐latitude boundary layer (LLBL) under northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), presumably associated with KH waves. The survey shows that such rolled‐up events do occur on both dawn and dusk flanks and are not rare for northward IMF conditions. In addition, in all the rolled‐up cases, magnetosheath‐like ions are detected on the magnetospheric side of the boundary. These findings indicate that the KHI plays a nonnegligible role in the formation of the flank LLBL under northward IMF.
The current guidelines for endoscopic management do not contraindicate laparoscopic surgery in pregnant women; a few studies have reported on this, particularly in Japan. We aimed to evaluate the ...feasibility of prophylactic laparoscopic adnexal surgery during the late first trimester and second trimester for the prevention of adnexal torsion. We retrospectively reviewed eight patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for ovarian cysts during the late first trimester or second trimester (April 2012-September 2016). The general protocol of laparoscopically-assisted cystectomy was adopted, with low-pressure CO2 insufflation (8 mmHg). No complications were noted. Five women delivered; four delivered at term and one delivered preterm owing to premature membrane rupture. Pregnancy is ongoing in the remaining three women. Prophylactic laparoscopic adnexal surgery is safe and feasible for adnexal torsion prevention in women with ovarian cysts during the late first trimester or second trimester.
Ocean current measurements from near Kuchinoshima Island are analyzed to consider turbulence characteristics with regard to the engineering design of an ocean current turbine. The location of the ...measurements is offshore of Kuchinoshima in the Tokara Strait within the path of the Kuroshio Current. The measurement campaign was from January 15 to 16, 2016 using the Nortek Signature 500 ADCP and Nortek Vector ADV. Turbulence characteristics of turbulence intensity, integral timescale, and integral length scale are evaluated at 1 m increments above the seabed. Doppler noise removal is performed and power density spectrums are presented. The findings will lead to more accurate loading calculations and simulations for performance evaluation.
•The exchange spring magnet formed by a soft magnetic oxide and hard magnetic nitride.•Their exchange-spring behavior was evidenced by recoil permeability measurements.•The fully dense ...ferrite/Sm2Fe17N3 magnet exhibited resistivity of about 4000 μΩ cm.
Typical exchange spring magnets are composed of two phases, a rare-earth hard magnetic material and a metallic soft magnetic material, whose magnetization value is higher than those of hard magnetic phases, such as α-Fe, Fe-B, or Fe-Co. A novel high-electrical-resistance composite magnet was fabricated by consolidating micron-sized ferromagnetic nitride Sm2Fe17N3 powder particles coated with a continuous nano-sized soft magnetic ferrite oxide layer, which suppressed intergrain conductivity but sustained the magnetic exchange interactions between grains 21. A non-magnetic resin or ceramic insulator may suffice for the coated layer but gives rise to high electrical resistance of the magnet with large deterioration of magnetization. The soft magnetic ferrite oxide layer not only suppressed intergrain conductivity, but also only slightly reduced the magnetization of the magnet. At present, the only exchange spring magnet having a combination of a soft magnetic oxide and hard magnetic nitride is the ferrite/Sm2Fe17N3 composite magnet. Sm2Fe17N3 powder particles with a size of 2 μm were coated with an “iron ferrite” layer with a grain size of about 10 nm by ferrite plating, which is an aqueous process, following which the samples were consolidated by the explosive consolidation (EC) technique. The coercivity and rectangularity of the ferrite/Sm2Fe17N3 composite magnet decreased slightly compared to those of a Sm2Fe17N3 magnet. The fully dense ferrite/Sm2Fe17N3 magnet exhibited a resistivity of about 4000 μΩ cm, which is ten times larger than that of a fully dense Sm2Fe17N3 magnet. Thus, the soft magnetic ferrite layer in the composite magnet maintained the magnetic exchange coupling between ferromagnetic Sm2Fe17N3 grains and simultaneously suppressed intergrain electrical coupling to increase the resistivity. This decreased the eddy current loss and improved the high-frequency characteristics of the composite magnets. Therefore, ferrite/Sm2Fe17N3 composites are promising materials for magnets that are operated at high frequencies in advanced applications, such as electric vehicle magnets.
The molecular mechanisms at the origin of eating disorders (EDs), including anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia and binge-eating disorder (BED), are currently unknown. Previous data indicated that ...immunoglobulins (Igs) or autoantibodies (auto-Abs) reactive with α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) are involved in regulation of feeding and emotion; however, the origin of such auto-Abs is unknown. Here, using proteomics, we identified ClpB heat-shock disaggregation chaperone protein of commensal gut bacteria Escherichia coli as a conformational antigen mimetic of α-MSH. We show that ClpB-immunized mice produce anti-ClpB IgG crossreactive with α-MSH, influencing food intake, body weight, anxiety and melanocortin receptor 4 signaling. Furthermore, chronic intragastric delivery of E. coli in mice decreased food intake and stimulated formation of ClpB- and α-MSH-reactive antibodies, while ClpB-deficient E. coli did not affect food intake or antibody levels. Finally, we show that plasma levels of anti-ClpB IgG crossreactive with α-MSH are increased in patients with AN, bulimia and BED, and that the ED Inventory-2 scores in ED patients correlate with anti-ClpB IgG and IgM, which is similar to our previous findings for α-MSH auto-Abs. In conclusion, this work shows that the bacterial ClpB protein, which is present in several commensal and pathogenic microorganisms, can be responsible for the production of auto-Abs crossreactive with α-MSH, associated with altered feeding and emotion in humans with ED. Our data suggest that ClpB-expressing gut microorganisms might be involved in the etiology of EDs.
A nomogram is progressively being used as a useful predictive tool for cancer prognosis. A nomogram to predict survival in nonresectable pancreatic cancer treated with chemotherapy has not been ...reported.
Using prospectively collected data on patients with nonresectable pancreatic cancer receiving gemcitabine-based chemotherapy at five Japanese hospitals, we derived a predictive nomogram and internally validated it using a concordance index and calibration plots.
In total, 531 patients were included between June 2001 and February 2013. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM stages were III and IV in 204 and 327 patients, respectively. The median survival time of the total cohort was 11.3 months. A nomogram was generated to predict survival probabilities at 6, 12, and 18 months and median survival time, based on the following six variables: age; sex; performance status; tumour size; regional lymph node metastasis; and distant metastasis. The concordance index of the present nomogram was higher than that of the AJCC TNM staging system at 12 months (0.686 vs 0.612). The calibration plots demonstrated good fitness of the nomogram for survival prediction.
The present nomogram can provide valuable information for tailored decision-making early after the diagnosis of nonresectable pancreatic cancer.
Diabetic nephropathy, included in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), is the primary disease leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or dialysis treatment, accounting for more than 40% of all patients ...with ESRD or receiving dialysis. Developing new therapeutics to prevent the transition to ESRD or dialysis treatment requires an understanding of the pathophysiology of DKD and an appropriate animal model for drug efficacy studies. In this study, we investigated the pathophysiology of diabetic kidney disease with type 2 diabetes in uninephrectomized db/db mice. In addition, the nephrectomized db /db mice from 10 weeks to 42 weeks were used to assess the efficacy of long-term administration of the angiotensin-II-receptor antagonist losartan. The blood and urinary biochemical parameters, main pharmacological endpoint of the losartan therapy, were periodically measured. And at the end, histopathological analysis was performed. Uninephrectomized db/db mice clearly developed obesity and hyperglycemia from young age. Furthermore, they showed renal pathophysiological changes, such as increased urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) (the peak value 3104 ± 986 in 40-week-old mice), glomerular hypertrophy and increased fibrotic areas in the tubulointerstitial tubules. The blood pressure in the losartan group was significantly low compared to the normotensive Vehicle group. However, as expected, Losartan suppressed the increase in UACR (829±500) indicating the medication was sufficient, but the histopathological abnormalities including tubular interstitial fibrosis did not improve. These results suggest that the uninephrectomized db/db mice are useful as an animal model of the severe DKD indicated by the comparison of the efficacy of losartan in this model with the efficacy of losartan in clinical practice.
PDF
