Seismic Damage Assessment of RC Structures using Different Hysteretic Models

Estimation of seismic damage of a structure varies depending on the assumed hysteretic rules and input excitations due to indices being calculated from earthquake response time histories. In this study, effects of the different hysteretic models on damage indices were studied. First, the response of RC bridge piers during earthquakes was calculated using different hysteretic models and input motions. Then, seismic damage was evaluated by 1) a damage index based on a linear combination of the maximum deformation ratio and the energy dissipation during cyclic loadings, and 2) damage spectra of damage index, ductility and absorbed hysteretic energy for structures with various natural periods. Results showed that the non-degrading maximum value directed model was accurate enough for seismic damage analysis while the bilinear model underestimated damage because of its linear response to the low intensity cyclic loadings. The maximum value directed model was also needed to predict the damage index from the maximum velocity or the spectral intensity of the input motions

Experimental observations on the optimal layout of orientation blocks for safe road crossing by the visually impaired

For people with visual impairments who face difficulties when crossing the road, in urban areas of Japan the infrastructure designed to provide an indication of crossing direction and the curbstones at sidewalk-roadway boundaries often varies in reliability from one crossing to another. If anything, this promotes stress for users and is an issue for which improvement is urgently needed. The authors have proposed new orientation blocks to be installed at crosswalk entrances as a means of more accurately indicating to people with visual impairments the trajectory to follow when crossing the road, and in prior research have derived desirable specifications for the profile of these blocks and their position relative to tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI). For this paper, in order to examine in greater detail the desirable position of orientation blocks relative to TWSI, the authors conducted an experiment using totally blind subjects to evaluate conditions on a 10 m walk that simulated an actual crossing. The results, based on observations of the trajectories walked by participants in the experiment and interviews eliciting their subjective evaluations, showed that separating orientation blocks and blister tactile blocks by about 8–12 cm is effective in constraining lateral deviation at a point 5 m from the start of crossing and that an 8 cm separation was desirable in order to maintain an effective reduction of mental stress while crossing

A Helical Magnetic Field in the Jet of 3C 273

Both in the Faraday Rotation Measure and the intrinsic polarization angle, new features are revealed to indicate a helical magnetic field operating along the jet of the bright active galactic nuclei 3C 273. The helical field has been suggested to be related to the formation and collimation of jets by magnetohydrodynamic models. The distribution of the RM shows a systematic gradient with respect to the jet axis, which is expected by a helical magnetic field. In addition, the helical field can consistently explain two types in the direction of the projected magnetic field: parallel and perpendicular to the jet axis. Further, if the helical magnetic field is generated by winding up of an initial field by rotation of the accretion disk, we can uniquely determine the direction of the disk rotation, since the jet is approaching us.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, PASJ Letters in pres

cis9, trans11-Conjugated Linoleic Acid Differentiates Mouse 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes into Mature Small Adipocytes through Induction of Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ

Dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been reported to exhibit a number of therapeutic effects in animal models and patients, such as anti-hypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-arteriosclerotic, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-diabetic effects. However, the underlying mechanism is not well-characterized. In the present study, the effects of cis(c)9, trans(t)11-CLA on the differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into mature adipocytes were examined. Treatment with c9, t11-CLA in the presence of insulin, dexamethasone, and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine (differentiation cocktail) significantly stimulated the accumulation of triacylglycerol. The microscopic observation of cells stained by Oil Red O demonstrated that c9, t11-CLA increases the amount and proportion of small mature adipocytes secreting adiponectin, a benign adipocytokine, when compared to the differentiation cocktail alone. Furthermore, c9, t11-CLA increased bioactive peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) levels in a nuclear extract of 3T3-L1 cells, suggesting the enhancing effect of this fatty acid on the nuclear transmission of PPARγ, a master regulator of adipocyte differentiation, in 3T3-L1 cells. These results suggest that the therapeutic effects of c9, t11-CLA on lifestyle-related diseases are partially due to the enhanced formation of small adipocytes from preadipocytes via PPARγ stimulation

A pediatric case of productive cough caused by novel variants in DNAH9

We report the first Japanese case of primary ciliary dyskinesia caused by DNAH9 variations. The patient, a 5-year-old girl, had repeated episodes of productive cough after contracting the common cold at the age of 1 year and 6 months. She did not have a situs abnormality or congenital heart defect. We identified two novel DNAH9 variants, NM_001372.3: c. [1298C>G];[5547_5550delTGAC], (p.[Ser433Cys];[Asp1850fs])

Findings from recent studies by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency examining musculoskeletal atrophy in space and on Earth

The musculoskeletal system provides the body with correct posture, support, stability, and mobility. It is composed of the bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissues. Without effective countermeasures, prolonged spaceflight under microgravity results in marked muscle and bone atrophy. The molecular and physiological mechanisms of this atrophy under unloaded conditions are gradually being revealed through spaceflight experiments conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency using a variety of model organisms, including both aquatic and terrestrial animals, and terrestrial experiments conducted under the Living in Space project of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. Increasing our knowledge in this field will lead not only to an understanding of how to prevent muscle and bone atrophy in humans undergoing long-term space voyages but also to an understanding of countermeasures against age-related locomotive syndrome in the elderly

Tick saliva‑induced programmed death‑1 and PD‑ligand 1 and its related host immunosuppression

The tick Rhipicephalus microplus is a harmful parasite of cattle that causes considerable economic losses to the cattle breeding industry. Although R. microplus saliva (Rm-saliva) contains several immunosuppressants, any association between Rm-saliva and the expression of immunoinhibitory molecules, such as programmed death (PD)-1 and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1), has not been described. In this study, flow cytometric analyses revealed that Rm-saliva upregulated PD-1 expression in T cells and PD-L1 expression in CD14+ and CD11c+ cells in cattle. Additionally, Rm-saliva decreased CD69 expression in T cells and Th1 cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, PD-L1 blockade increased IFN-γ production in the presence of Rm-saliva, suggesting that Rm-saliva suppresses Th1 responses via the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. To reveal the upregulation mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 by Rm-saliva, we analyzed the function of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is known as an inducer of PD-L1 expression, in Rm-saliva. We found that Rm-saliva contained a high concentration of PGE2, and PGE2 treatment induced PD-L1 expression in CD14+ cells in vitro. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that PGE2 and PD-L1 expression was upregulated in tick-attached skin in cattle. These data suggest that PGE2 in Rm-saliva has the potential to induce the expression of immunoinhibitory molecules in host immune cells