Degradation of PVC insulated cable by Small Punch test considering molecular weight change

PVC used as insulation material for industrial power cable was tried to evaluate degradation by Small Punch test (SP test) as a simple and easy assessment method. It was suggested that the SP test can analyze chemical changes from the correlation with IR. Qualitative assessment shows agreement between SP test and tensile test, and it is possible to apply to evaluation of strength at long aging times. However, the failure load in the SP test samples is complex and scattered, so that detailed study on SP test is required. Thus, we focused chemical reaction mechanisms and tried to clarify their influence on SP behavior. Molecular weight change was measured for each aging time by SEC and discussed how polymer chains are cut based on IR result. We discuss the relationship between molecular weight and the mechanical properties of PVC by SP test. The effectiveness of SP test as the evaluation method for residual life prediction will be addressed

Study of ortho-to-paraexciton conversion in Cu2_2O by excitonic Lyman spectroscopy

Using time-resolved $1s$-$2p$ excitonic Lyman spectroscopy, we study the orthoexciton-to-paraexcitons transfer, following the creation of a high density population of ultracold $1s$ orthoexcitons by resonant two-photon excitation with femtosecond pulses. An observed fast exciton-density dependent conversion rate is attributed to spin exchange between pairs of orthoexcitons. Implication of these results on the feasibility of BEC of paraexcitons in Cu$_2$O is discussed

Solid Papillary Carcinoma with Invasion in the Male Breast: A Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction: Solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) accounts for approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases and occurs primarily in postmenopausal women. We report a rare SPC with invasion in the male breast. Case Presentation: A 73-year-old Japanese man presented with bloody nipple discharge and a palpable left breast mass. Mammography revealed a well-defined high-concentration mass. Ultrasonography scans demonstrated an intracystic 10 mm mass under the left nipple without enlarged axillary lymph nodes. A core needle biopsy revealed a ductal carcinoma with nuclear grade 1, which excluded an invasive carcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging exhibited a 7 mm intense early enhancement in the left breast. A left mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy were performed. The patient was diagnosed with pathological stage IA (T1b N0 M0) breast carcinoma, an invasive pure SPC type without neuroendocrine markers. The patient was treated with oral tamoxifen and survived without any recurrence for 12 months. Conclusion: Invasive SPC of the male breast may occur as a palpable mass or nipple discharge in older men and has a good prognosis

The Concept of Collections in the Institutions of Popular Education in Japan

At the very beginning of the Meiji Era, the Ministry of Education was established and it began to manage collecting things like products, minerals and works of art and so on in the context of \u27education\u27. Since then, museums had been one of the important institution of education and also exhibitions, which were opened frequently in cooperation with local authorities and several local groups, such as boards of education and voluntary groups. The purpose of this article is firstly to describe the brief history of the educational policy on collecting since the Meiji Era to the early Showa Era, and secondly, to examine the concept of collections in the institutions of popular education. In Chapter one, the process on collecting special products and exhibiting them that was practiced by the powers of the nation in the early Meiji Era is confirmed. In Chapter two, some reports on the institutions of popular education in local authorities and some kind of exhibitions in the early Taisho Era were examined. Chapter three, multiplication of exhibitions and museums with standardized information in the Taisho Era is described

The Yellow Excitonic Series of Cu2O Revisited by Lyman Spectroscopy

We report on the observation of the yellow exciton Lyman series up to the fourth term in Cu2O by time-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy. The dependence of the oscillator strength on the principal quantum number n can be well reproduced using the hydrogenic model including an AC dielectric constant, and precise information on the electronic structure of the 1s exciton state can be obtained. A Bohr radius a_{1s}=7.9 A and a 1s-2p transition dipole moment \mu_{1s-2p}= 4.2 eA were found

Prognostic Factors for Post Recurrence Survival in Resected Pathological Stage I Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

[Background]Recurrence of lung cancer after surgical resection is a major obstacle in the cure and long-term survival of patients and has become the most common cause of death. However, prognostic factors and efficacy of therapy after recurrence remain controversial. We evaluated the prognostic factors of post recurrence survival (PRS) in patients of resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). [Methods]Of the 551 patients who underwent surgery　for stage I NSCLC between 2005 and 2013, we reviewed 89 (16.2%) patients who had recurrence. We examined PRS using the Kaplan?Meier method and multivariate　Cox regression analyses. [Results]The median follow-up period after recurrence was 21.0 months. The median recurrence free interval (RFI) was 16.8 months. The 1-year PRS and 3-year PRS were 65.6% and 44.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that size of primary lesion > 25 mm (P = 0.048), RFI ? 17 months (P = 0.048) and no treatment for recurrence (P < 0.001) were independent poor-prognosis factors of PRS. We further examined PRS in 66 patients who underwent any post recurrence therapy. For the patients who underwent treatment after recurrence, bone metastasis (P = 0.025) and treatment without epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) (P = 0.049) were independent poor prognostic factors. [Conclusion]PRS may be associated with characteristics of a recurrent lesion, including the biology of the recurrent tumor, RFI, recurrent site, the treatment for recurrence, rather than characteristics of primary lesion. Although further validation is needed, this information is important for the design of clinical trials for post-recurrence therapy

PKN3 is the major regulator of angiogenesis and tumor metastasis in mice

PKN, a conserved family member related to PKC, was the first protein kinase identified as a target of the small GTPase Rho. PKN is involved in various functions including cytoskeletal arrangement and cell adhesion. Furthermore, the enrichment of PKN3 mRNA in some cancer cell lines as well as its requirement in malignant prostate cell growth suggested its involvement in oncogenesis. Despite intensive research efforts, physiological as well as pathological roles of PKN3 in vivo remain elusive. Here, we generated mice with a targeted deletion of PKN3. The PKN3 knockout (KO) mice are viable and develop normally. However, the absence of PKN3 had an impact on angiogenesis as evidenced by marked suppressions of micro-vessel sprouting in ex vivo aortic ring assay and in vivo corneal pocket assay. Furthermore, the PKN3 KO mice exhibited an impaired lung metastasis of melanoma cells when administered from the tail vein. Importantly, PKN3 knock-down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced a glycosylation defect of cell-surface glycoproteins, including ICAM-1, integrin β1 and integrin α5 in HUVECs. Our data provide the first in vivo genetic demonstration that PKN3 plays critical roles in angiogenesis and tumor metastasis, and that defective maturation of cell surface glycoproteins might underlie these phenotypes

Thoracoscopic Resections of Bronchogenic Cysts Arising in the Posterior Mediastinum: A Report on 3 Patients

We report 3 cases of patients with bronchogenic cyst arising in the posterior mediastinum. The patients were a 19-year-old male, a 36-year-old female and a 33-year-old female, whose cysts were detected as abnormal shadows in the chest. In 2 of them, neurogenic tumors were suspected preoperatively. We performed thoracoscopic resection for the 3 tumors. Bronchogenic cysts may occur ectopically, and the posterior mediastinum must be sufficiently recognized as a rare but possible ectopic site