Rate of Heat Transfer between a Fluidized Bed and the Tube Wall at Higher Temperature

The heat transfer coefficient between a fluidized bed and the tube wall, hw, was measured in the temperature range of 500° to 800°C. Quartz and fused alumina particles were fluidized in the air stream. The coefficient hw was obtained between 70 and 800 kcal/m²·hr·°C. It increases with the flow rate of air. The effects of bed temperature and heat content and size of the particles on hw were imperceptible. By comparing the heat transfer coefficients obtained in this work with those at lower temperatures below 200°C, the difference between both coefficients was not significant

Identification of candidate tumour suppressor genes frequently methylated in renal cell carcinoma

Promoter region hyermethylation and transcriptional silencing is a frequent cause of tumour suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation in many types of human cancers. Functional epigenetic studies, in which gene expression is induced by treatment with demethylating agents, may identify novel genes with tumour-specific methylation. We used high-density gene expression microarrays in a functional epigenetic study of 11 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines. Twenty-eight genes were then selected for analysis of promoter methylation status in cell lines and primary RCC. Eight genes (BNC1, PDLIM4, RPRM, CST6, SFRP1, GREM1, COL14A1 and COL15A1) showed frequent (30% of RCC tested) tumour-specific promoter region methylation. Hypermethylation was associated with transcriptional silencing. Re-expression of BNC1, CST6, RPRM and SFRP1 suppressed the growth of RCC cell lines and RNA interference knock-down of BNC1, SFRP1 and COL14A1 increased the growth of RCC cell lines. Methylation of BNC1 or COL14A1 was associated with a poorer prognosis independent of tumour size, stage or grade. The identification of these epigenetically inactivated candidate RCC TSGs can provide insights into renal tumourigenesis and a basis for developing novel therapies and biomarkers for prognosis and detection. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited.Published versio

Control of collapsing direction of a two-storied wooden house by means of the bracing in the suitable position

地震の揺れによる建物の倒壊を防止しつつ，想定を上回った揺れに対して，道路側への倒壊を防止するなど，倒壊方向を制御することは被災時，被災後の避難・救済・復興活動を進める上で意義深いと考えられる．そこで本検討では，木造建築への筋交いの設置による倒壊防止対策を行う上で，想定を上回った揺れに対しての倒壊方向の制御について知見を得ることを目的に，ソフトウェアwallstatを使用した倒壊解析を行った．今回は，両筋交いの設置位置により，ある方面への倒壊を抑制できないかについてシミュレーションを行い検討した．使用した1995年兵庫県南部地震での兵庫県神戸市中央区中山手JMAKOBEの地震波の振幅を２倍とした地震波では，家屋が倒壊するのに十分に大きく，倒壊方向は地震波の進行の向きに大きく依存し，両筋交いの設置位置によって倒壊方向を制御することはできなかった．今後，地震波の倍率を下げ筋交いの効果を確認するとともに，筋交いの種類や向きを変えて筋交いの効果を検証していく．Control of collapsing direction such as prevention of collapse toward a road is very significant from the viewpoint of the smooth evacuation, relief and reconstruction activities in case of disaster with unanticipated shock, in addition to preventing a building from collapsing due to earthquakes. Therefore we examined the analysis of collapse by use of software “wallstat” for the purpose of getting knowledge about control of collapsing direction in case of disaster with unanticipated shock. As a result, the direction of collapse was heavily dependent on the direction of the seismic wave, which was doubled the amplitude of the seismic wave of JMAKOBE, Nakayamate, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo in the 1995 Southern Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake, and it was impossible to control the direction of collapse by changing the position of both braces. As future plan, in addition to verifying the effectiveness of the braces as the magnification of seismic waves is slightly reduced from magnification of two, we would like to confirm effect on collapse prevention effect of the braces by changing both braces to single brace, compression braces, or tension braces, or by changing the direction of the braces.departmental bulletin pape

Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) polymorphisms in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma causes over 75% of skin cancer-related deaths, and it is clear that many factors may contribute to the outcome. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in the degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix and basement membrane that, in turn, modulate cell division, migration and angiogenesis. Some polymorphisms are known to influence gene expression, protein activity, stability, and interactions, and they were shown to be associated with certain tumor phenotypes and cancer risk. METHODS: We tested seven polymorphisms within the MMP-9 gene in 1002 patients with melanoma in order to evaluate germline genetic variants and their association with progression and known risk factors of melanoma. The polymorphisms were selected based on previously published reports and their known or potential functional relevance using in-silico methods. Germline DNA was then genotyped using pyrosequencing, melting temperature profiles, heteroduplex analysis, and fragment size analysis. RESULTS: We found that reference alleles were present in higher frequency in patients who tend to sunburn, have family history of melanoma, higher melanoma stage, intransit metastasis and desmoplastic melanomas among others. However, after adjustment for age, sex, phenotypic index, moles, and freckles only Q279R, P574R and R668Q had significant associations with intransit metastasis, propensity to tan/sunburn and primary melanoma site. CONCLUSION: This study does not provide strong evidence for further investigation into the role of the MMP-9 SNPs in melanoma progression

シンニュウセイ オ タイショウ トシタ キツエン ボウシ キョウイク シコウ ガ タバコ ニ タイスル イシキ ニ アタエル エイキョウ ノ ケントウ

大学入学早期からの喫煙防止教育の大切さがこれまでに指摘されていたが,喫煙防止教育の効果に関してほとんど検討されていない.本研究は,大学新入学時に喫煙防止教育を施行し,その前後の喫煙に対する態度や喫煙防止教育を行う意欲や自信の変化等を検討することを目的とした.2008 年4 月に,新入生74 名(男子54 名,女子20 名)を対象に喫煙防止教育を施行し,教育の直前とその一週間後に同一アンケート調査を行い,PASW Statistics 18.0 for Windows を使用し,c 2 検定及びt 検定を行った.喫煙防止教育後の喫煙者の禁煙に対する関心度や非喫煙者の喫煙に対する関心度には,有意差は見られなかった.さらに,喫煙防止教育を受けた経験が十分あるかという質問に関しては,「タバコの害」と「タバコの依存性」では教育前と有意差は無く,「禁煙指導の方法」に関してのみ,有意に上昇した.しかし,喫煙行動に対する態度に関しては,「医療施設の全面禁煙化」以外の全項目で有意に上昇した.さらに,タバコに関する社会の動きに対する関心度が有意に高まり,喫煙防止教育に対する意欲や自信も有意に上昇した.本研究は長期的な教育効果を検討するには不十分であるが,喫煙防止教育として新入生の意識向上に良い影響を与えた.Several studies have discussed the importance of educatingstudents on smoking prevention during the initial yearsof university education. In this study we examined thechanging perceptions of smoking behavior among freshmenin university just before and after 1 week of education onthe health hazards due to smoking.In April, 2008, 74 freshmen (54 boys and 20 girls) of aparamedical university were provided health education onthe hazards caused by smoking, and the changes in the perceptionsregarding the smoking behavior were examinedby the basis of a questionnaire that was answered by thestudents before and after the education;the same questionnairewas filled both the times. For statistical examination,c 2 test and t test were performed using IBM SPSS(PASW Statistics 18.0) for Windows.Even after educating the students on smoking prevention,there was no significant difference in the attitude ofsmokers toward smoking cessation and that of non-smokerstoward smoking. Although the awareness among thestudents with regard to the health hazards of smoking wasnot significantly different before and after this education,their awareness of the methods to quit smoking had increasedsignificantly. Moreover, the mean values of the differentopinions on the smoking behavior increased significantly.However, one exception was the opinions in themedical institutions that had tobacco-free environments.The mean values that increased the highest after this education,were "Implementation of non-smoking in the entireuniversity" and "The need for effective education that assistsin quitting smoking." Further, after this education, thescore of interest in social activities against smoking increased.Education on anti-smoking is vital for freshmenafter enrollment in a university

Prognostic DNA methylation markers for renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review

Aim: Despite numerous published prognostic methylation markers for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), none of these have yet changed patient management. Our aim is to systematically review and evaluate the literature on prognostic DNA methylation markers for RCC. Materials & methods: We conducted an exhaustive search of PubMed, EMBASE and MEDLINE up to April 2017 and identified 49 publications. Studies were reviewed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, assessed for their reporting quality using the Reporting Recommendations for Tumor Marker Prognostic Studies (REMARK) criteria, and were graded to determine the level of evidence (LOE) for each biomarker. Results: We identified promoter methylation of BNC1, SCUBE3, GATA5, SFRP1, GREM1, RASSF1A, PCDH8, LAD1 and NEFH as promising prognostic markers. Extensive methodological heterogeneity across the included studies was observed, which hampers comparability and reproducibility of results, providing a possible explanation why these biomarkers do not reach the clinic. Conclusion: Potential prognostic methylation markers for RCC have been identified, but they require further validation in prospective studies to determine their true clinical value

Accurate molecular classification of cancer using simple rules

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One intractable problem with using microarray data analysis for cancer classification is how to reduce the extremely high-dimensionality gene feature data to remove the effects of noise. Feature selection is often used to address this problem by selecting informative genes from among thousands or tens of thousands of genes. However, most of the existing methods of microarray-based cancer classification utilize too many genes to achieve accurate classification, which often hampers the interpretability of the models. For a better understanding of the classification results, it is desirable to develop simpler rule-based models with as few marker genes as possible.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We screened a small number of informative single genes and gene pairs on the basis of their depended degrees proposed in rough sets. Applying the decision rules induced by the selected genes or gene pairs, we constructed cancer classifiers. We tested the efficacy of the classifiers by leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) of training sets and classification of independent test sets.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We applied our methods to five cancerous gene expression datasets: leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] vs. acute myeloid leukemia [AML]), lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia (ALL vs. mixed-lineage leukemia [MLL] vs. AML). Accurate classification outcomes were obtained by utilizing just one or two genes. Some genes that correlated closely with the pathogenesis of relevant cancers were identified. In terms of both classification performance and algorithm simplicity, our approach outperformed or at least matched existing methods.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In cancerous gene expression datasets, a small number of genes, even one or two if selected correctly, is capable of achieving an ideal cancer classification effect. This finding also means that very simple rules may perform well for cancerous class prediction.</p