Monitoring of Hot Corrosion Behaviors for Alloys and Aluminide Coatings under Molten Sulfate Film with Thermal Cycles

In this study, a thin molten sulfate film was formed on the metallic samples and their corrosion processes have been monitored by electrochemical impedance technique under thermal cyclic condition. Inconel 600, nickel and aluminide diffusion coatings were used as samples. 50 mol%Na2SO4- 50 mol%Li2SO4 was used for preparing the molten sulfate film. Two kinds of specially designed electrochemical cells have been used in this study. One is three-electrode configuration and another is two-electrode configuration. Electrochemical impedance measurements were used for monitoring the degradation processes for all samples tested. It was found that both corrosion resistance and the change of molten sulfate film has been monitored successfully during 6 thermal cycles. In every thermal cycle, the corrosion resistance increased when the temperature shifted to lower values and decreased with the rising of temperature. Also, A drastic increase in corrosion resistance and the resistance of the molten salt film was observed when the temperature decreased below the melting point of the mixed molten sulfate film. Although both three-electrode and two-electrode configurations were usable for electrochemical measurements under molten sulfate film, it was concluded that the newly designed two-electrode configuration is more suitable under thermal cyclic condition

Towards B-doped p-BaSi2 films on Si substrates by co-sputtering of BaSi2, Ba, and B-doped Si targets

BaSi2 is one of the emerging materials for thin-film solar cell applications; hence the conductivity control by impurity doping is of great importance. The formation of B-doped p-BaSi2 films has been achieved by molecular beam epitaxy and vacuum evaporation. We fabricated B-doped BaSi2 films on Si substrates at 600 °C by co-sputtering BaSi2, Ba, and B-doped Si targets, followed by post-annealing at 900 °C or 1000 °C for 5 min in an Ar atmosphere. Contrary to expectations, as-grown sample and the sample annealed at 900 °C showed n-type conductivity, while the sample annealed at 1000 °C showed p-type conductivity. The reason for the n-type conductivity was discussed based on first-principles calculationconsidering the presence of oxygen atoms in the order of 1021 cm−3. The n-type conductivity for B-doped BaSi2 is possible only when both the B and O atoms being a substitution impurity are in the same Si4 tetrahedron

Regular-Triangle Trimer and Charge Order Preserving the Anderson Condition in the Pyrochlore Structure of CsW2_2O6_6

Since the discovery of the Verwey transition in magnetite, transition metal compounds with pyrochlore structures have been intensively studied as a platform for realizing remarkable electronic phase transitions. We report the discovery of a unique phase transition that preserves the cubic symmetry of the beta-pyrochlore oxide CsW$_2$O$_6$, where each of W 5d electrons are confined in regular-triangle W3 trimers. This trimer formation is an unprecedented self-organization of d electrons, which can be resolved into a charge order satisfying the Anderson condition in a nontrivial way, orbital order caused by the distortion of WO6 octahedra, and the formation of a spin-singlet pair in a regular-triangle trimer. Electronic instability due to the unusual three-dimensional nesting of Fermi surfaces and the localized nature of the 5d electrons characteristic of the pyrochlore oxides were found to play important roles in this unique charge-orbital-spin coupled phenomenon.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Overexpression of Chitinase 3-Like 1/YKL-40 in Lung-Specific IL-18-Transgenic Mice, Smokers and COPD

We analyzed the lung mRNA expression profiles of a murine model of COPD developed using a lung-specific IL-18-transgenic mouse. In this transgenic mouse, the expression of 608 genes was found to vary more than 2-fold in comparison with control WT mice, and was clustered into 4 groups. The expression of 140 genes was constitutively increased at all ages, 215 genes increased gradually with aging, 171 genes decreased gradually with aging, and 82 genes decreased temporarily at 9 weeks of age. Interestingly, the levels of mRNA for the chitinase-related genes chitinase 3-like 1 (Chi3l1), Chi3l3, and acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) were significantly higher in the lungs of transgenic mice than in control mice. The level of Chi3l1 protein increased significantly with aging in the lungs and sera of IL-18 transgenic, but not WT mice. Previous studies have suggested Chi3l3 and AMCase are IL-13-driven chitinase-like proteins. However, IL-13 gene deletion did not reduce the level of Chi3l1 protein in the lungs of IL-18 transgenic mice. Based on our murine model gene expression data, we analyzed the protein level of YKL-40, the human homolog of Chi3l1, in sera of smokers and COPD patients. Sixteen COPD patients had undergone high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) examination. Emphysema was assessed by using a density mask with a cutoff of −950 Hounsfield units to calculate the low-attenuation area percentage (LAA%). We observed significantly higher serum levels in samples from 28 smokers and 45 COPD patients compared to 30 non-smokers. In COPD patients, there was a significant negative correlation between serum level of YKL-40 and %FEV1. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the serum levels of YKL-40 and LAA% in COPD patients. Thus our results suggest that chitinase-related genes may play an important role in establishing pulmonary inflammation and emphysematous changes in smokers and COPD patients

ショクドウ ソウカン ニヨル フンゴウブ カンゼン リカイ オ カイケッチョウ サイケン デ シュウフクシタ ショクドウ セツジョ ノ 1レイ

症例は60 歳代, 男性. 身長162.6 cm, 体重40.0 kg, Body Mass Index（BMI）15.1 kg / m2であり, 既往歴に慢性閉塞性肺疾患（COPD）を認めた. 胸部上部食道癌 T1b N0 M0 Stage Iに対して食道亜全摘, 3領域リンパ節郭清, 胸骨後胃管再建を施行した.術当日に抜管したが, 術後肺炎に伴う呼吸不全のため, 術後6日目に気管内挿管を試みたが、食道挿管となった．再挿管, 人工呼吸管理の後に軽快し術後13日目に抜管となったが, 術後透視で吻合部周囲に造影剤漏出を認めた. 2ヶ月間の保存的加療で造影剤漏出は消失したが吻合部に長径4 cmの高度狭窄を認めた．内視鏡的拡張術での改善は困難であり, 術後243日目に消化管再建術を施行した. 手術所見として, 第2肋間より頭側の胸骨を切除したところ, 胃管の口側断端は第2肋間の高さの胸骨後面に位置していた.食道断端までは肉芽で置換されていた.胸骨前経路回結腸再建を施行し, 再建術後 8日目に食事を開始し, 合併症なく再建術後30日目に退院となった. 回結腸再建後2年経過後も食道癌の再発は認めず, 通過障害なく経口摂取のみでの生活が可能となっている．A 60s-year-old man underwent endoscopic screening during which a tumor was detected in the upper thoracic esophagus, which was diagnosed as T1bN0M0 Stage I esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. He had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He underwent subtotal esophagectomy with 3 field lymph node dissection. Reconstruction was performed by gastric tube through the posterior sternal route. Extubation was performed on the day of surgery. Respiratory failure by postoperative pneumonia occurred, and ventilatory management was performed on the sixth postoperative day. However, the intubation was put into the esophagus. He became well and extubation was performed on the 13th postoperative day. Postoperative fluoroscopy showed contrast leakage around the anastomotic site. After 2 months of conservative treatment, the contrast leak disappeared, but there was a severe stenosis of 4 cm in length at the anastomosis. Endoscopic dilatation was not sufficient to improve the stenosis. Gastrointestinal reconstruction was performed on the 243rd postoperative day. The cephalic sternum was resected, and the gastrointestinal canal opening margin was located on the posterior surface of the sternum, at the level of the second intercostal space. The segment was replaced by a granulation. The patient underwent anterior sternal ileocolic reconstruction. Oral intake started on the 8th day after the reconstruction, and hospital discharge was on the 30 th day after the reconstruction without any complications. Two years after ileocolic reconstruction, there has been no cancer recurrence, and he lives well on oral intake only

Figures 17-25 from: Matsumura Y, Suenaga H, Kamimura Y, Gorb SN (2017) Traumatic mating by hand saw-like spines on the internal sac in Pyrrhalta maculicollis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae). In: Schmitt M, Chaboo CS (Eds) Research on Chrysomelidae 7. ZooKeys 720: 77-89. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.720.13015

Morphology of the aedeagus and vagina of Pyrrhalta maculicollis and its closely related species were investigated. The internal sac of P. maculicollis bears hand saw-like spines, which are arranged in a row. Healing wounds were found on the vagina of this species, whose females were collected in the field during a reproductive season. However, the number of the wounds is low in comparison to the number of the spines. In addition, males of P. tibialis bear one spinous sclerite on the internal sac, but the female of this species show no wounds on the vagina. The vaginal wall is thicker in P. maculicollis and P. tibialis in comparison to other studied species, whose males bear no spinous sclerite. This thickening in P. maculicollis is hypothesized that they prevent damaging their own internal sac during everting and withdrawing the internal sac with the spines

ANCA‐associated neuropathy in systemic sclerosis: A case report and review of literature

Abstract Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multi‐system autoimmune disease. Anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are autoantibodies directed against enzymes found within primary granules of neutrophils and lysosomes in monocytes. Although up to 12% of SSc patients have ANCA, only a minority of these patients develop an overlap syndrome with ANCA‐associated vasculitis. We summarize previous reports on SSc patients with ANCA‐associated neuropathy. In all the reported cases, the SSc diagnosis preceded the ANCA‐associated neuropathy diagnosis. Seven of the eight patients with limited cutaneous SSc had interstitial lung disease (ILD). Thus, patients with ANCA‐associated neuropathy in lSSc may be prone to complication with ILD