A rate- and state-dependent ductile flow law of polycrystalline halite under large shear strain and implications for transition to brittle deformation

We have conducted double-shear biaxial deformation experiments in layers of NaCl within its fully-plastic (FP) regime up to large shear strains (γ < 50) with velocity steps. From this, we have empirically formulated a rate- and state-dependent flow law which explains the transient mechanical behavior. The steady state flow stress in the FP regime can be explained by a power-law with a stress exponent ~8.5 and an activation enthalpy of ~1.3 eV, with the instantaneous response having a higher stress exponent (13 ± 8), although there is data scatter. The transition to brittle regime is associated with weakening from the ductile flow law. In FP regime, the mechanical response is characterized by a monotonic decay to a new steady state while in the transitional regime, by a peak-decay behavior. The transient flow law obtained here is of considerable importance in the study of the brittle-ductile transition in rocks

Systemic Argyria Secondary to Breath Freshener "Jintan Silver Pills®"

A case of generalized argyria secondary to "Jintan Silver Pills® " is described. Jintan Silver Pills® are made of natural extracts and coated with silver, and they are very popular as one of the breath fresheners in Japan. The patient has extreme blue-gray pigmentation of her skin. Histopathologically, the fine black granules were present in greatest number in the basement membrane zone surrounding the sweat glands and scattered diffusely through the dermis. She has taken about five hundred Jintan Silver Pills® a day for nineteen years. Her total intake of silver was calculated to be about 350g, which can be sufficient for producing argyria

Constitutive properties of clayey fault gouge from the Hanaore fault zone, southwest Japan

Velocity step tests at a range of slip rates (0.0154–155.54 μm s^(−1)) are performed using natural fault gouge containing smectite, mica, and quartz collected from an outcrop of the Hanaore Fault, southwest Japan. Field and microscopic observations reveal that the shear deformation is localized to a few centimeters or thinner layer of black clayey fault gouge. This layer is formed by multiple stages, and determining the width of the shear zone due to a single event is difficult to determine. The experimental data on the abrupt jumps in the load point velocity are fitted by a rate‐ and state‐dependent frictional law, coupled with the spring‐slider model, the stiffness of which is treated as a fitting parameter. This treatment is shown to be essential to determine the constitutive parameters and their errors. The velocity steps are successfully fit with typically two state variables: larger b_1 with shorter d_(c1) and smaller b_2 with longer d_(c2). At slip rates higher than 1 μm s^(−1), negative b_2 is required to fit the data in most of the cases. Thin gouge layers (∼200 μm) in the experiment enables us to simulate large averaged shear strain which is important to recognize the evolution of the state variable associated with negative b_2 and long d_(c2). Observation of microscopic structure after experiments shows poor development of Y planes. This may be consistent with the mechanical behavior observed: weak occurrence of initial peak strength at yielding and displacement hardening throughout the experiments

Roentgenographic Study of the Chest of the Aged: special reference to "senile lung" and the paraspinal line

The characteristics of the changes of "senile lung" and normal values of the width of the paraspinal shadows on the chest roentgenographs were studied among 235 subjects aged from 70 to 97 without frank chest diseases. The ratio of upper transverse diameter (at the level of posterior 6th rib) to lower transverse diameter (at the top of right hemidiaphragm) on the frontal radiographs was significantly higher over the age of 85 than under 84, only in the female subjects. However, a lack of differences could be found in males. Therefore, "senile lung" was considered to be characteristic of the aging process, only for women. The width of the paraspinal shadow over the age of 70 was estimated to be normal in up to 19.9mm, and the index divided by the distance of descending aorta was up to 0.61, obtained from the value of 99% confidence limits

A Case of Acquired Leucoderma, Associated with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

A 67-year-old female diagnosed as Hashimoto's thyroiditis in company with acquired leucoderma was reported. She first noticed the enlarged thyroid at the age of 36, and thereafter leucoderma made its appearance 30 years later. Though a significant association between these two diseases has been found in the literature thus far and they are considered to be of autoimmune origin, their coexistence is not so common clinically. In spite of PUVA treatment, a benefit effect was not obtained completely

Functional Analysis of OsKANADI1, A Florigen Hd3a Interacting Protein in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

OsKANADI1 is considered as a florigen Hd3a interacting protein. To study the function of OsKANADI1, the expression pattern of OsKANADI1 was performed by semiquantitative RT-PCR with various wild-type tissues in the floral transition stage. The results demonstrated that OsKANADI1 was expressed in all organs of wild-type plants, but was highest in roots and leaves. We hypothesize that OsKANADI1 is a transcription factor in rice because it contains a GARP domain and posses a nuclear localization signal. To determine whether OsKANADI1 encodes a nuclear protein, full-length OsKANADI1 fused to GFP was introduced into onion epidermis cells by particle bombardment. The result revealed that OsKANADI1 was localized in the nucleus, suggesting that OsKANADI1 may be a transcription factor. Functional analysis was carried out using a reverse genetics approach to generate gain of function mutant (overexpression) and knockdown mutant (RNAi). The results showed that suppression of OsKANADI1 by RNAi displayed branching and increasing tiller number in several lines. This phenotype resembles to the Hd3a overexpressed plants indicating they possibly function in similar pathway.Key words : OsKANADI1, Transcription factor, Hd3a interacting protein, Ric