Shape from shading with interreflections under proximal light source - 3D shape reconstruction of unfolded book surface from a scanner image

We address the problem to recover the 3D shape of an unfolded book surface from the shading information in a scanner image. From a technical point of view, this shape from shading problem in real world environments is characterized by (1) proximal light source, (2) interreflections, (3) moving light source, (4) specular reflection, and (5) nonuniform albedo distribution. Taking all these factors into account, we first formulate the problem based on an iterative nonlinear optimization scheme. Then we introduce piecewise polynomial models of the 3D shape. Image restoration experiments for a real book surface demonstrated that geometric and photometric distortions are almost completely removed by the proposed method</p

Effect of internal mass in the lattice Boltzmann simulation of moving solid bodies by the smoothed-profile method

A computational method for the simulation of particulate flows that can efficiently treat the particle-fluid boundary in systems containing many particles was developed based on the smoothed-profile lattice Boltzmann method (SPLBM). In our proposed method, which we call the improved SPLBM (iSPLBM), for an accurate and stable simulation of particulate flows, the hydrodynamic force on a moving solid particle is exactly formulated with consideration of the effect of internal fluid mass. To validate the accuracy and stability of iSPLBM, we conducted numerical simulations of several particulate flow systems and compared our results with those of other simulations and some experiments. In addition, we performed simulations on flotation of many lightweight particles with a wide range of particle size distribution, the results of which demonstrated the effectiveness of iSPLBM. Our proposed model is a promising method to accurately and stably simulate extensive particulate flows

BNIP3 Plays Crucial Roles in the Differentiation and Maintenance of Epidermal Keratinocytes

Transcriptome analysis of the epidermis of Hes1−/− mouse revealed the direct relationship between Hes1 (hairy and enhancer of split-1) and BNIP3 (BCL2 and adenovirus E1B 19-kDa-interacting protein 3), a potent inducer of autophagy. Keratinocyte differentiation is going along with activation of lysosomal enzymes and organelle clearance, expecting the contribution of autophagy in this process. We found that BNIP3 was expressed in the suprabasal layer of the epidermis, where autophagosome formation is normally observed. Forced expression of BNIP3 in human primary epidermal keratinocytes (HPEKs) resulted in autophagy induction and keratinocyte differentiation, whereas knockdown of BNIP3 had the opposite effect. Intriguingly, addition of an autophagy inhibitor significantly suppressed the BNIP3-stimulated differentiation of keratinocytes, suggesting that BNIP3 plays a crucial role in keratinocyte differentiation by inducing autophagy. Furthermore, the number of dead cells increased in the human epidermal equivalent of BNIP3 knockdown keratinocytes, which suggests that BNIP3 is important for maintenance of skin epidermis. Interestingly, although UVB irradiation stimulated BNIP3 expression and cleavage of caspase3, suppression of UVB-induced BNIP3 expression led to further increase in cleaved caspase3 levels. This suggests that BNIP3 has a protective effect against UVB-induced apoptosis in keratinocytes. Overall, our data provide valuable insights into the role of BNIP3 in the differentiation and maintenance of epidermal keratinocytes

Development of a glue-free bimorph mirror for use in vacuum chambers

PZT (lead zirconate titanate)-glued bimorph deformable mirrors are widely used in hard X-ray regimes; however, they have not yet been used in soft X-ray regimes because they are less compatible for usage under high vacuum. In this study, we developed a glue-free bimorph deformable mirror, in which silver nano-particles were employed to bond PZT actuators to mirror substrates. Under an appropriate bonding condition, the bonding layer was confirmed to be uniform and the mirror's bending characteristics were demonstrated to be sufficiently stable; its gas emission rate was also shown to be acceptable. Piezo responses before and after additional heating at 200 °C showed the thermal stability of its bonding and bending properties.Yoshio Ichii, Hiromi Okada, Hiroki Nakamori, Akihiko Ueda, Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Satoshi Matsuyama, and Kazuto Yamauchi, "Development of a glue-free bimorph mirror for use in vacuum chambers", Review of Scientific Instruments 90, 021702 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5066105

Adverse effect of donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies directed at HLA-DP/-DQ on engraftment in cord blood transplantation

[Background aims] While donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSAs) in the recipient before transplantation are associated with graft failure in cord-blood transplantation (CBT), effects of DSAs other than against HLA-A, -B or -DRB1 on transplantation outcomes remained poorly understood. [Methods] We retrospectively analyzed 567 single-unit CBT recipients to evaluate impact of DSAs against HLA-DP and -DQ on CBT outcomes. [Results] Among 143 recipients (25.2%) who had anti-HLA antibodies, nine harbored DSAs against HLA-DP or -DQ. DSAs against HLA-DP or -DQ were associated with a significantly lower neutrophil engraftment rate (55.6% versus 91.8%, P = 0.032) and with a marginally lower platelet engraftment rate (46.7% versus 75.3%, P = 0.128) at day 100 after transplantation, compared with patients without anti-HLA antibodies. Time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment in patients with DSAs for HLA-DP or -DQ was significantly longer than that in patients without anti-HLA antibodies (median, 25 versus 21 days, P = 0.002 in neutrophil; median 61 versus 46 days, P = 0.014 in platelet). Cumulative incidence of bacterial infection at day 100 was significantly greater (88.9% versus 57.1%, P = 0.024), and re-transplant-free survival was marginally lower (55.6% versus 76.8%, P = 0.132) in patients with DSAs against HLA-DP or -DQ, compared with those without anti-HLA antibodies. These findings suggest that DSAs against HLA-DP or -DQ lead to unfavorable engraftment, which may increase risk of bacterial infection, and reduce survival soon after CBT. [Conclusions] Our results suggest the importance of evaluating DSAs against HLA-DP and -DQ in recipients before selecting CB units

Signature of strange dibaryon in kaon-induced reaction

We examine how the signature of the strange-dibaryon resonances in the barKNN-piSigmaN system shows up in the scattering amplitude on the physical real energy axis within the framework of Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas (AGS) equations. The so-called point method is applied to handle the three-body unitarity cut in the amplitudes. We also discuss the possibility that the strange-dibaryon production reactions can be used for discriminating between existing models of the two-body barKN-piSigma system with Lambda(1405).Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, talk given at The Fifth Asia-Pacific Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics 2011 (APFB2011), held in Seoul, Korea, August 22-26, 201

シュヨウナイ シュッケツ ニヨリ ゾウダイ シタ イ GIST ノ 1レイ

Although there are a lot of case-reports of GIST （Gastrointestinal stromal tumor） with bleeding into the alimentary tract, cases of bleeding inside of the GIST are rare. We report a case in which a GIST increased its size associated with bleeding inside and was resected successfully. An ８２-year-old man was diagnosed as GIST （１．０×２．０ cm in size） and followed for ３ years. Its size increased to １１×８ cm in size, therefore, we performed an operation. During laparotomy, the tumor was elastic hard and located on the upper body and posterior wall of the stomach. The tumor size was approximately the head of child. A total gastrectomy with splenectomy was done. A case of sudden increasing of the tumor was histologically thought to bleed inside of it. The increased size of tumors revealed a malignant potential and/or hemorrage, the tumor should be resected as soon as possible