Hydrodynamic Forces on a Circular Cylinder Placed in Wave-Current Co-existing Fields

The in-line hydrodynamic force acting on a circular cylinder in a wave-current co-existing field and its generating mechanism are discussed. This study focuses on the asymmetries of both the water particle movement and the resultant vortex property with respect to the cylinder as being the causes of an inherent generating mechanism of the hydrodynamic force in the wave-current co-existing field. First of all, the vortex property around a circular cylinder in the wave-adverse current co-existing field is examined by flow visualization tests. It is found that the vortex property depends on the flow characteristics around the trough phase when the wave-current composite velocity becomes maximum and can be represented with a newly proposed K.C. number for the co-existing field. Next, the characteristics of the in-line force are made clear by evaluating the drag coefficient and the mass coefficient in the expanded Morison's equation for the co-existing field. These coefficients can be well arranged by (K.C.)₂, which is one of the newly proposed K.C. numbers, and their characteristics coincide with the existing results in the wave-only field. The in-line hydrodynamic force in the co-existing field can be explained sufficiently by considering the vortex property in the same manner as clarified in the wave-only field

Study Plans Concerning Monetary Evaluation of Mitigation Measures for the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

10th Eco-Energy and Materials Science and Engineering (EMSES2012)The Fukushima Daiichi accident raises various kinds of social unease in Japan. Especially, unease for radioactive contamination around the Fukushima Daiichi plant is serious. Also, around the other nuclear power plants, local residents would feel unease for a similar accident in the future. Although the government and the electric power companies have already implemented or plan to implement several measures to mitigate such unease, it is difficult to progress their policies effectively because the effect of each measure is not quantitatively clarified. The purpose of our research is to evaluate these effects by analyzing fluctuations in local property values and local residents economic welfare, which are monetary indexes reflecting the social unease, to construct information that is useful to plan an optimal package of mitigation measures in each nuclear power plant site from the viewpoint of cost-benefit analysis. In this paper, we explain the immediate plans of this research and its academic and political contributions

Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 Regulates Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast Differentiation into Adipose Cells

isomerase, Pin1, regulates insulin signal transduction. Pin1 reduces responses to insulin stimulation by binding CRTC2 (CREB-regulated transcriptional co-activator 2) and PPARγ (peroxisome prolifereator- activated receptor γ), but conversely enhances insulin signaling by binding IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate-1), Akt kinase, and Smad3. Therefore, it is still unclear whether Pin1 inhibits or enhances adipose cell differentiation. mice was restored by increasing expression of Pin1. We found that Pin1 binds to phosphoThr172- and phosphoSer271-Pro sites in CREB suppress the activity in COS-7 cells.Pin1 enhanced the uptake of triglycerides and the differentiation of MEF cells into adipose cells in response to insulin stimulation. Results of this study suggest that Pin1 down-regulation could be a potential approach in obesity-related dysfunctions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

A degron system targeting endogenous PD-1 inhibits the growth of tumor cells in mice

必要な時だけ標的タンパク質を壊すがん治療 --薬剤投与によるマウス内在性PD-1の分解--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-06-20.A smashing solution for cancer therapy: KyotoU develops protein degrading system to repress cancer in mice. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-12.Recently, targeted protein degradation systems have been developed using the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Here, we established Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) knockdown mice as a model system for subjecting endogenous mouse proteins to the small molecule-assisted shutoff (SMASh) degron system. SMASh degron-tagged PD-1-mCherry in Jurkat cells and CD3+ splenocytes were degraded by the NS3/4A protease inhibitors, asunaprevir (ASV) or grazoprevir (GRV). Growth of MC-38 colon adenocarcinoma cells injected in Pdcd1-mCherry-SMASh homozygous knock-in (KI) mice was repressed by ASV or GRV. Moreover, growth of MC-38 cells was suppressed in wild-type mice transplanted with KI bone marrow cells after GRV treatment. This is the first study to use a degron tag targeting an endogenous mouse protein in vivo. Our experimental system using the SMASh degron may be employed for treating diseases and characterizing the cellular functions of essential proteins

Virtual bronchoscopic navigation combined with endobronchial ultrasound to diagnose small peripheral pulmonary lesions : a randomised trial

Background: Bronchoscopy using endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) can help to diagnose small peripheral pulmonary lesions. However, although biopsy sites can be confirmed, a bronchoscope cannot be guided in EBUS. Virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) can guide a bronchoscope with virtual images, but its value has not been confirmed. Methods: This prospective multicentre study examines the value of VBN-assisted EBUS for diagnosing small peripheral pulmonary lesions. 199 patients with small peripheral pulmonary lesions (diameter ≤ 30 mm) were randomly assigned to VBN-assisted (VBNA) or non-VBN-assisted (NVBNA) groups. A bronchoscope was introduced into the target bronchus of the VBNA group using the VBN system. Sites of specimen sampling were verified using EBUS with a guide sheath under fluoroscopy. Results: The diagnostic yield was higher for the VBNA than for the NVBNA group (80.4% vs 67.0%; p=0.032). The duration of the examination and time elapsed until the start of sample collection were reduced in the VBNA compared with the NVBNA group (median (range), 24.0 (8.7-47.0) vs 26.2 (11.6-58.6) min, p=0.016) and 8.1 (2.8-39.2) vs 9.8 (2.3-42.3) min, p=0.045, respectively). The only adverse event was mild pneumothorax in a patient from the NVBNA group. Conclusions: The diagnostic yield for small peripheral pulmonary lesions is increased when VBN is combined with EBUS