PVP2008-61953 THE ULTIMATE STRENGTH OF CYLINDRICAL LIQUID STORAGE TANKS UNDER EARTHQUAKES -Seismic Capacity Test of Tanks Used in PWR Plants - (Part2 : STATIC POST-BUCKLING STRENGTH TESTS)

ABSTRACT Since 2002, Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) has been carrying out seismic capacity tests for several types of equipment which significantly contribute to core damage frequency. The primary purpose of this study is to acquire the seismic capacity data of thin walled cylindrical liquid storage tanks in nuclear power plants and to establish an evaluation procedure of the ultimate strength. As for the refueling water storage tank and the condensate storage tank which are used in PWR plants, elephant-foot bulge (EFB) is the typical buckling behavior of those tanks and the primary failure mode to be focused on. In the previous study, by conducting the dynamic and static buckling tests with aluminum alloy, it was confirmed that static buckling test represents dynamic buckling and post-buckling behavior in terms of energy absorption capacity. In this study, static buckling tests with actual material were performed in order to evaluate the ultimate strength of real tanks. Although the buckling mode did not differ among materials, tests with actual materials (steel, stainless steel) resulted higher seismic capacity compared to the aluminum alloy, and inner water leakage occurred from the cracks initiated at the secondary buckling on the EFB section

Optical and radiographical characterization of silica aerogel for Cherenkov radiator

We present optical and X-ray radiographical characterization of silica aerogels with refractive index from 1.05 to 1.07 for a Cherenkov radiator. A novel pin-drying method enables us to produce highly transparent hydrophobic aerogels with high refractive index by shrinking wet-gels. In order to investigate the uniformity in the density (i.e., refractive index) of an individual aerogel monolith, we use the laser Fraunhofer method, an X-ray absorption technique, and Cherenkov imaging by a ring imaging Cherenkov detector in a beam test. We observed an increase in density at the edge of the aerogel tiles, produced by pin-drying.Comment: To be published in IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 7 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Both the anaerobic pathway and aerobic desaturation are involved in the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1

AbstractVibrio sp. strain ABE-1 is a unique marine bacterium in terms of its ability to synthesize Δ9-trans-hexadecenoic acid and Δ7-cis-tetradecenoic acid (14:1(7c); Okuyama, H., Sasaki, S., Higashi, S. and Murata, N. (1990) J. Bacteriol. 172, 3515-3518). The present study, involving labeling with [1-14C]acetate, demonstrated that 14:1 is synthesized by the anaerobic pathway. When cells of this bacterium were grown in the presence of [1-14C]myristic acid (14:0), this compound was converted to palmitic (16:0) and hexadecenoic (16:1) acids but not to 14:1, under aerobic conditions. These results suggest that the incorporated 14:0 was elongated to 16:0 and then converted to 16:1 by the aerobic desaturation of 16:0. It appears that the anaerobic pathway and aerobic desaturation are both involved in the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids during aerobic growth of Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1

Differential impact of Ink4a and Arf on hematopoietic stem cells and their bone marrow microenvironment in Bmi1-deficient mice

The polycomb group (PcG) protein Bmi1 plays an essential role in the self-renewal of hematopoietic and neural stem cells. Derepression of the Ink4a/Arf gene locus has been largely attributed to Bmi1-deficient phenotypes in the nervous system. However, its role in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal remained undetermined. In this study, we show that derepressed p16Ink4a and p19Arf in Bmi1-deficient mice were tightly associated with a loss of self-renewing HSCs. The deletion of both Ink4a and Arf genes substantially restored the self-renewal capacity of Bmi1−/− HSCs. Thus, Bmi1 regulates HSCs by acting as a critical failsafe against the p16Ink4a- and p19Arf-dependent premature loss of HSCs. We further identified a novel role for Bmi1 in the organization of a functional bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. The BM microenvironment in Bmi1−/− mice appeared severely defective in supporting hematopoiesis. The deletion of both Ink4a and Arf genes did not considerably restore the impaired BM microenvironment, leading to a sustained postnatal HSC depletion in Bmi1−/−Ink4a-Arf−/− mice. Our findings unveil a differential role of derepressed Ink4a and Arf on HSCs and their BM microenvironment in Bmi1-deficient mice. Collectively, Bmi1 regulates self-renewing HSCs in both cell-autonomous and nonautonomous manners

Evidence of mature adipocyte proliferation regulated by proliferin

Despite much research, whether mature adipocytes proliferate remains controversial. Here, we examined 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labelling of mature adipocytes. Although BrdU incorporation into subcutaneous adipocytes was less than that in visceral adipocytes, pioglitazone (Pio) treatment increased BrdU incorporation in subcutaneous, but not visceral, adipocytes in rats. Fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes exhibited an increase in cell number and BrdU incorporation with time, with this increase enhanced by Pio treatment. We therefore screened for genes that encode growth factors regulated by Pio, and selected proliferin (PLF). Both gene silencing of PLF by small interfering RNA and treatment with anti-PLF antibody suppressed proliferation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In adipocytes isolated from Pio-treated rats, the tissue-specific pattern of PLF expression was similar to that of BrdU incorporation. Administration of an anti-PLF antibody to mice reduced BrdU incorporation into adipocytes. Mature adipocytes thus have the ability to replicate, and this proliferation is positively regulated by PLF

Different impressions of other agents obtained through social interaction uniquely modulate dorsal and ventral pathway activities in the social human brain

Internal (neuronal) representations in the brain are modified by our experiences, and this phenomenon is not unique to sensory and motor systems. Here, we show that different impressions obtained through social interaction with a variety of agents uniquely modulate activity of dorsal and ventral pathways of the brain network that mediates human social behavior. We scanned brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 16 healthy volunteers when they performed a simple matching-pennies game with a human, human-like android, mechanical robot, interactive robot, and a computer. Before playing this game in the scanner, participants experienced social interactions with each opponent separately and scored their initial impressions using two questionnaires. We found that the participants perceived opponents in two mental dimensions: one represented “mind-holderness” in which participants attributed anthropomorphic impressions to some of the opponents that had mental functions, while the other dimension represented “mind-readerness” in which participants characterized opponents as intelligent. Interestingly, this “mind-readerness” dimension correlated to participants frequently changing their game tactic to prevent opponents from envisioning their strategy, and this was corroborated by increased entropy during the game. We also found that the two factors separately modulated activity in distinct social brain regions. Specifically, mind-holderness modulated activity in the dorsal aspect of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and medial prefrontal and posterior paracingulate cortices, while mind-readerness modulated activity in the ventral aspect of TPJ and the temporal pole. These results clearly demonstrate that activity in social brain networks is modulated through pre-scanning experiences of social interaction with a variety of agents. Furthermore, our findings elucidated the existence of two distinct functional networks in the social human brain. Social interaction with anthropomorphic or intelligent-looking agents may distinctly shape the internal representation of our social brain, which may in turn determine how we behave for various agents that we encounter in our society

超吸水性ポリマー球状塞栓物質の高張食塩水を用いた膨潤抑制法の開発

PURPOSE: To analyze size changes of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) microspheres with the reduced expansion technique, and to evaluate pharmacological advantages of transarterial chemoembolization using cisplatin-loaded SAP microspheres with the reduced expansion technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an in vitro study, diluted contrast materials containing different concentrations of sodium ions were examined to expand SAP microspheres and determined the reduced expansion technique. Size distributions of cisplatin-loaded SAP microspheres were analyzed. In an in vivo study, TACE was performed using cisplatin-loaded SAP microspheres with the reduced expansion and control techniques in 18 VX2 rabbits. RESULTS: The degree of expansion was reduced to the greatest extent by using a mixture of non-ionic contrast material and 10% NaCl at a 4:1 ratio. The mean diameter of the reduced expansion of cisplatin-loaded SAP microspheres was 188.4 μm, while that of the control expansion was 404.9 μm. The plasma platinum concentrations of the reduced expansion group at 5 min after TACE were significantly higher than those of the control expansion group (2.19 ± 0.77 vs. 0.75 ± 0.08 μg/mL, P = .01). The tumor platinum concentrations of the reduced expansion group at 1 h were significantly higher than those of the control expansion group (10.76 ± 2.57 vs. 1.57 ± 0.14 μg/g, P = .044). CONCLUSION: The expanding level of SAP microspheres can be reduced by using hypertonic saline. Cisplatin-loaded SAP microspheres with the reduced expansion technique have the advantages of achieving higher cisplatin tissue concentration in TACE for liver tumors.博士（医学）・甲第709号・令和元年6月26日© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature and the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) 2018This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Cardiovascular and interventional radiology. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00270-018-1990-4