Timber-Strong Design Build Senior Project

The 2019 Timber-Strong Design Build Competition was developed by the American Wood Council, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc, and APA - The Engineered Wood Association to cultivate timber design, building, and sustainability experience for students. Participating students gained exposure to performance analysis, construction management, building practices, and project bid preparation while practicing as a design construction firm. In the process of this hands-on experience, students were expected to procure all building materials and tools themselves. The Timber Strong senior project consisted of participating in the Timber-Strong competition, then re-purposing the structure for use as a playhouse in a pre-school. The intent of the project was to explore sustainability options after finishing the competition, allowing the students to experience hands-on construction, marketing, professional communication, and a realistic interdisciplinary process

A Novel IFITM5 Variant Associated with Phenotype of Osteoporosis with Calvarial Doughnut Lesions: A Case Report

cited By 0Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and other decreased bone density disorders comprise a heterogeneous group of heritable diseases with skeletal fragility. Recently, it was discovered that mutations in SGMS2, encoding sphingomyelin synthetase 2, result in aberrant sphingomyelin metabolism and lead to a novel form of OI termed osteoporosis with calvarial doughnut lesions (OP-CDL) with moderate to severe skeletal fragility and variable cranial hyperostotic lesions. This study describes a Japanese family with the skeletal phenotype of OP-CDL. The affected individuals have moderately severe, childhood-onset skeletal fragility with multiple long-bone fractures, scoliosis and bone deformities. In addition, they exhibit multiple CDLs or calvarial bumps with central radiolucency and peripheral radiopacity. However, SGMS2 sequencing was normal. Instead, whole-exome sequencing identified a novel IFITM5 missense mutation c.143A>G (p.N48S) (classified as a VUS by ACMG). IFITM5 encodes an osteoblast-restricted protein BRIL and a recurrent c.-14C>T mutation in its 5' UTR region results in OI type V, a distinctive subtype of OI associated with hyperplastic callus formation and ossification of the interosseous membranes. The patients described here have a phenotype clearly different from OI type V and with hyperostotic cranial lesions, feature previously unreported in association with IFITM5. Our findings expand the genetic spectrum of OP-CDL, indicate diverse phenotypic consequences of pathogenic IFITM5 variants, and imply an important role for BRIL in cranial skeletogenesis.Peer reviewe

Defects in Friction Stir Welding of Steel

Defects associated with friction stir welding of two steel grades including DH36 and EH46 were investigated. Different welding parameters including tool rotational and tool traverse (linear) speeds were applied to understand their effect on weld seam defects including microcracks and voids formation. SEM images and infinite focus microscopy were employed to identify the defects types. Two new defects associated with the friction stir welding process are introduced in this work. The first defect identified in this work is a microcrack found between the plunge and the steady state region and attributed to the traverse moving of the tool with unsuitable speed from the plunge-dwell to the steady state stage. The tool traverse speed has recommended to travel 20 mm more with accelerated velocity range of 0.1 from the maximum traverse speed until reaching the steady state. The maximum recommended traverse speed in the steady state was also suggested to be less than 400 mm/min in order to avoid the lack in material flow. The second type of defect observed in this work was microcracks inside the stirred zone caused by elemental precipitations of TiN. The precipitates of TiN were attributed to the high tool rotational speed which caused the peak temperature to exceed 1200 °C at the top of the stirred zone and based on previous work. The limit of tool rotational speed was recommended to be maintained in the range of 200-500 RPM based on the mechanical experiments on the FSW samples

Modelling of friction stir welding of DH36 steel

A 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate the friction stir welding of 6-mm plates of DH36 steel in an Eulerian steady-state framework. The viscosity of steel plate was represented as a non- Newtonian fluid using a flow stress function. The PCBN-WRe hybrid tool was modelled in a fully sticking condition with the cooling system effectively represented as a negative heat flux. The model predicted the temperature distribution in the stirred zone (SZ) for six welding speeds including low, intermediate and high welding speeds. The results showed higher asymmetry in temperature for high welding speeds. Thermocouple data for the high welding speed sample showed good agreement with the CFD model result. The CFD model results were also validated and compared against previous work carried out on the same steel grade. The CFD model also predicted defects such as wormholes and voids which occurred mainly on the advancing side and are originated due to the local pressure distribution between the advancing and retreating sides. These defects were found to be mainly coming from the lack in material flow which resulted from a stagnant zone formation especially at high tra- verse speeds. Shear stress on the tool surface was found to in- crease with increasing tool traverse speed. To produce a “sound” weld, the model showed that the welding speed should remain between 100 and 350 mm/min. Moreover, to prevent local melt- ing, the maximum tool’s rotational speed should not exceed 550 RPM

Increasing trends of soil greenhouse gas fluxes in Japanese forests from 1980 to 2009

Forest soils are a source/sink of greenhouse gases, and have significant impacts on the budget of these terrestrial greenhouse gases. Here, we show climate-driven changes in soil GHG fluxes (CO2 emission, CH4 uptake, and N2O emission) in Japanese forests from 1980 to 2009, which were estimated using a regional soil GHG model that is data-oriented. Our study reveals that the soil GHG fluxes in Japanese forests have been increasing over the past 30 years at the rate of 0.31 Tg C yr−2 for CO2 (0.23 % yr−1, relative to the average from 1980 to 2009), 0.40 Gg C yr−2 for CH4 (0.44 % yr−1), and 0.0052 Gg N yr−2 for N2O (0.27 % yr−1). Our estimates also show large interannual variations in soil GHG fluxes. The increasing trends and large interannual variations in soil GHG fluxes seem to substantially affect Japan's Kyoto accounting and future GHG mitigation strategies

k・p摂動法による半導体量子井戸における電子g因子の計算

Lande g-factor which characterizes the response of electrons to external magnetic field is one of the most important factors in semiconductor opto-magnetic effects. In this report effects of quantum confinements on the electron g-factor in semiconductor quantum wells are discussed. First we introduce Ivchenko\u27s method of calculating g-factor based on k・p high-order perturbation method. Then we examine a simplified k・p method to obtain g-factor in quantum wells. It is found that the simplified method exhibits a good agreement with the experimental trends not only in the unstrained QWs but also in strained QWs

Suppression of Sproutys Has a Therapeutic Effect for a Mouse Model of Ischemia by Enhancing Angiogenesis

Sprouty proteins (Sproutys) inhibit receptor tyrosine kinase signaling and control various aspects of branching morphogenesis. In this study, we examined the physiological function of Sproutys in angiogenesis, using gene targeting and short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown strategies. Sprouty2 and Sprouty4 double knockout (KO) (DKO) mice were embryonic-lethal around E12.5 due to cardiovascular defects. The number of peripheral blood vessels, but not that of lymphatic vessels, was increased in Sprouty4 KO mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Sprouty4 KO mice were more resistant to hind limb ischemia and soft tissue ischemia than WT mice were, because Sprouty4 deficiency causes accelerated neovascularization. Moreover, suppression of Sprouty2 and Sprouty4 expression in vivo by shRNA targeting accelerated angiogenesis and has a therapeutic effect in a mouse model of hind limb ischemia. These data suggest that Sproutys are physiologically important negative regulators of angiogenesis in vivo and novel therapeutic targets for treating peripheral ischemic diseases

Tumour vascularization: sprouting angiogenesis and beyond

Tumour angiogenesis is a fast growing domain in tumour biology. Many growth factors and mechanisms have been unravelled. For almost 30 years, the sprouting of new vessels out of existing ones was considered as an exclusive way of tumour vascularisation. However, over the last years several additional mechanisms have been identified. With the discovery of the contribution of intussusceptive angiogenesis, recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells, vessel co-option, vasculogenic mimicry and lymphangiogenesis to tumour growth, anti-tumour targeting strategies will be more complex than initially thought. This review highlights these processes and intervention as a potential application in cancer therapy. It is concluded that future anti-vascular therapies might be most beneficial when based on multimodal anti-angiogenic, anti-vasculogenic mimicry and anti-lymphangiogenic strategies

First international consensus on the methodology of lymphangiogenesis quantification in solid human tumours

The lymphatic system is the primary pathway of metastasis for most human cancers. Recent research efforts in studying lymphangiogenesis have suggested the existence of a relationship between lymphatic vessel density and patient survival. However, current methodology of lymphangiogenesis quantification is still characterised by high intra- and interobserver variability. For the amount of lymphatic vessels in a tumour to be a clinically useful parameter, a reliable quantification technique needs to be developed. With this consensus report, we therefore would like to initiate discussion on the standardisation of the immunohistochemical method for lymphangiogenesis assessment

A phase II study of amrubicin and carboplatin for previously untreated patients with extensive-disease small cell lung cancer

Background: Amrubicin is active in the treatment of extensive-disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), and carboplatin is an analogue of cisplatin with less non-hematological toxicity. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of amrubicin and carboplatin combination chemotherapy for previously untreated patients with ED-SCLC. Patients and methods: Eligibility criteria were chemotherapy-naive ED-SCLC patients, performance status 0-1, age ?75, and adequate hematological, hepatic and renal function. Based on the phase I study, the patients received amrubicin 35 mg/m2 i.v. infusion on days 1, 2, and 3, and carboplatin AUC 5 i.v. infusion on day 1. Four cycles of chemotherapy were repeated every 3 weeks. Results: Thirty-five patients were enrolled, and 34 patients were eligible and assessable for response, toxicity, and survival. Patients\u27 characteristics were as follows: male/female = 26/8; performance status 0/1 = 4/30; median age (range) = 64 (41-75); stage IV = 34. Evaluation of responses was 6 complete response, 21 partial response, and 7 stable disease (response rate 79.4 %, 95 % CI 63.6-88.5 %). Grade 3 and 4 leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia occurred in 59, 82, and 26 %, respectively. There were no treatment-related deaths or pneumonitis. Three patients experienced hypotension as an amrubicin infusion reaction. The median progression-free survival time was 6.5 months. The median overall survival time and 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 15.6 months, and 63, 28, and 7 %, respectively. Conclusions: Amrubicin and carboplatin were effective and tolerable as chemotherapy for previously untreated patients with ED-SCLC. Further investigation of amrubicin and carboplatin is warranted