Time-resolved velocities and turbulence in the oscillating flow of a pulse combustor tail pipe

The cyclic behavior of the oscillating velocity field in the tail pipe of a pulse combustor was studied using laser doppler velocimetry. In this flow, the oscillations result from an acoustic resonance and have amplitudes of up to 5 times the mean velocity. Oscillation frequencies were varied from 67 to 101 Hz. Streamwise velocity and turbulence-intensity boundary layer profiles were measured to within 130 [mu]m of the wall, and transverse turbulence measurements were made to within 2 mm. The phase relationships of the velocity, turbulence intensity, and combustion chamber pressure oscillations are compared. Velocity oscillations near the wall are found to phase lead those in the center of the pipe, creating periodic flow reversals through the boundary layer. A comparison is made between this turbulent oscillating boundary layer and the laminar oscillating boundary layer for flow over a flat plate. The effects of axial position, pulsation frequency, pulsation amplitude, and mean flow rate on the velocity and turbulence profiles are discussed. Time-resolved wall shear stresses (directly calculated from the velocity measurements) are presented and compared with those of steady turbulent flow. Time-averaged velocity and turbulence profiles are also compared with those of conventional steady turbulent flows. The time-averaged velocity profile is found to be flatter than that of steady flow at the same mean Reynolds number, and both the streamwise and transverse turbulence intensities are found to be significantly higher than those of steady flow.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29484/1/0000570.pd

An α-synuclein decoy peptide prevents cytotoxic α-synuclein aggregation caused by fatty acid binding protein 3

α-synuclein (αSyn) is a protein known to form intracellular aggregates during the manifestation of Parkinson’s disease. Previously, it was shown that αSyn aggregation was strongly suppressed in the midbrain region of mice that did not possess the gene encoding the lipid transport protein fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3). An interaction between these two proteins was detected in vitro, suggesting that FABP3 may play a role in the aggregation and deposition of αSyn in neurons. In order to characterize the molecular mechanisms that underlie the interactions between FABP3 and αSyn that modulate the cellular accumulation of the latter, in this report, we used in vitro fluorescence assays combined with fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance assays to characterize in detail the process and consequences of FABP3-αSyn interaction. We demonstrated that binding of FABP3 to αSyn results in changes in the aggregation mechanism of the latter; specifically, a suppression of fibrillar forms of αSyn, and also the production of aggregates with an enhanced cytotoxicity toward mice neuro2A cells. Since this interaction involved the C-terminal sequence region of αSyn, we tested a peptide derived from this region of αSyn (αSynP130-140) as a decoy to prevent the FABP3-αSyn interaction. We observed that the peptide competitively inhibited binding of αSyn to FABP3 in vitro and in cultured cells. We propose that administration of αSynP130-140 might be used to prevent the accumulation of toxic FABP3-αSyn oligomers in cells, thereby preventing the progression of Parkinson’s disease

合併症を有するB型大動脈解離に対するステントグラフト内挿術における腎動脈に対する治療戦略 : 多施設共同研究

Background: Management of abdominal branches associated with Stanford type B aortic dissection is controversial without definite criteria for therapy after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). This is in part due to lack of data on natural history related to branch vessels and their relationship with the dissection flap, true lumen, and false lumen. Purpose: To investigate the natural history of abdominal branches after TEVAR for type B aortic dissection and the relationship between renal artery anatomy and renal volume as a surrogate measure of perfusion. Materials and Methods: This study included patients who underwent TEVAR for complicated type B dissection from January 2012 to March 2017 at 20 centers. Abdominal aortic branches were classified with following features: patency, branch vessel origin, and presence of extension of the aortic dissection into a branch (pattern 1, supplied by the true lumen without branch dissection; pattern 2, supplied by the true lumen with branch dissection, etc). The branch artery patterns before TEVAR were compared with those of the last follow-up CT (mean interval, 19.7 months) for spontaneous healing. Patients with one kidney supplied by pattern 1 and the other kidney by a different pattern were identified, and kidney volumes over the course were compared by using a simple linear regression model. Results: Two hundred nine patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 66 years ± 13; 165 men and 44 women; median follow-up, 18 months) were included. Four hundred fifty-nine abdominal branches at the last follow-up were evaluable. Spontaneous healing of the dissected branch occurred in 63% (64 of 102) of pattern 2 branches. Regarding the other patterns, 6.5% (six of 93) of branches achieved spontaneous healing. In 79 patients, renal volumes decreased in kidneys with pattern 2 branches with more than 50% stenosis and branches supplied by the aortic false lumen (patterns 3 and 4) compared with contralateral kidneys supplied by pattern 1 (pattern 2 vs pattern 1: −16% ± 16 vs 0.10% ± 11, P = .002; patterns 3 and 4 vs pattern 1: −13% ± 14 vs 8.5% ± 14, P = .004). Conclusion: Spontaneous healing occurs more frequently in dissected branches arising from the true lumen than in other branch patterns. Renal artery branches supplied by the aortic false lumen or a persistently dissected artery with greater than 50% stenosis are associated with significantly greater kidney volume loss.博士（医学）・乙第1461号・令和2年6月30日Copyright © 2019 by authors and RSNA. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Morphological and physiological responses of Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata) seedlings grown under CO2 concentrations ranging from pre-industrial to expected future levels

Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata) is a common species in the cool temperate forests of Japan. As the natural regeneration of beech forests is expected to contribute to forest conservation in future, we investigated the effects of different CO2 concentration ([CO2]) on the growth of beech seedlings in relation to morphology and physiological changes. Acorns collected from beech forest in Minakami, central Japan were germinated and grown during a first growing season of six months under four [CO2] levels (200, 350, 550, and 750 μL L^[-1]). Stem mass increased with increasing [CO2]; however, root mass did not change significantly among the treatments. With increasing [CO2], net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and leaf area increased, whereas transpiration (Tr), stomatal conductance, leaf chlorophyll content, and leaf longevity decreased. Although water use efficiency (WUE; i.e., Pn/Tr) improved with increasing [CO2], the density of stomata did not significantly change. Increases in the number of bud and the terminal bud length with increasing [CO2] indicated accelerated formation of additional branches and leaves in the next season. At high [CO2] environment in future, improved WUE may be nevertheless advantageous for the survival of beech seedlings preferring mesic conditions