Evaluation of heat extraction through sapphire fibers for the GW observatory KAGRA

Currently, the Japanese gravitational wave laser interferometer KAGRA is under construction in the Kamioka mine. As one main feature, it will employ sapphire mirrors operated at a temperature of 20K to reduce the impact from thermal noise. To reduce seismic noise, the mirrors will also be suspended from multi-stage pendulums. Thus the heat load deposited in the mirrors by absorption of the circulating laser light as well as heat load from thermal radiation will need to be extracted through the last suspension stage. This stage will consist of four thin sapphire fibers with larger heads necessary to connect the fibers to both the mirror and the upper stage. In this paper, we discuss heat conductivity measurements on different fiber candidates. While all fibers had a diameter of 1.6mm, different surface treatments and approaches to attach the heads were analyzed. Our measurements show that fibers fulfilling the basic KAGRA heat conductivity requirement of $\kappa\geq$5000W/m/K at 20K are technologically feasible.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Catal. Today

To clarify the effect and mechanism of pillared montmorillonite on Cd(2+) adsorption in aqueous solution, carbon modified alumina-pillared montmorillonite has been prepared by incorporating hydroxyl-aluminum cations into the lamellar spaces of montmorillonite via ion-exchanging together with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), followed by calcining in N(2) atmosphere. The pillared montmorillonites were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TG-DTA and sorption isotherms. Uptake of Cd(2+) from aqueous solution was analyzed by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results indicated that the pillared montmorillonites show better properties on both Cd(2+) adsorption and desorption than the unpillared, which made them the promising recycling Cd(2+) adsorbents. Moreover, adjusting the pH value of the solution could control the adsorbed amount of Cd(2+). The adsorption process fitted the second-order kinetics well, and the two isotherm equations due to Freundlich and Langmuir showed good fits with the experimental data. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.To clarify the effect and mechanism of pillared montmorillonite on Cd(2+) adsorption in aqueous solution, carbon modified alumina-pillared montmorillonite has been prepared by incorporating hydroxyl-aluminum cations into the lamellar spaces of montmorillonite via ion-exchanging together with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), followed by calcining in N(2) atmosphere. The pillared montmorillonites were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TG-DTA and sorption isotherms. Uptake of Cd(2+) from aqueous solution was analyzed by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results indicated that the pillared montmorillonites show better properties on both Cd(2+) adsorption and desorption than the unpillared, which made them the promising recycling Cd(2+) adsorbents. Moreover, adjusting the pH value of the solution could control the adsorbed amount of Cd(2+). The adsorption process fitted the second-order kinetics well, and the two isotherm equations due to Freundlich and Langmuir showed good fits with the experimental data. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Template-free hydrothermal synthesis of hollow hematite microspheres

Hollow hematite (alpha-Fe(2)O(3)) microspheres with an average diameter of 3-4 mu m and a shell thickness of approximate 150 nm was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route using FeCl(3)center dot 6H(2)O solution and acetic acid without using any templates. The hollow microspheres were composed of alpha-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles with the diameter range from 20 to 40 nm. The effects of reaction parameters such as reaction time, temperature, concentration of FeCl(3)center dot 6H(2)O solution, and initial pH on the morphology of the final products were investigated. A possible formation mechanism of hollow alpha-Fe(2)O(3) microspheres was also proposed, where the acetic acid played a role of etching in the formation of hollow structure

Synthesis of hematite particles with various shapes by a simple hydrothermal reaction

Hematite particles with various shapes have been synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reaction. The particle shape and size can be controlled by adjusting pH value in the starting solution. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction patterns (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), FT-IR, TG-DTA and mass spectrometry of gas species during TC-DTA. The TEM and HRTEM results revealed that large numbers of micropores ranging from 0.5-0.6 turn existed in the surface of spherical particles. (C) 2009 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved

Preparation and crystal structure of [enH(2)](0.5)[Ho(HPO4)(SO4)(H2O)] (en; ethylenediamine)

Single crystals of an organically templated holmium hydrogen phosphate sulfate, [enH(2)](0.5)[Ho(HPO4)(SO4)(H2O)] (en; ethylenediamine) were prepared by hydrothermal reaction and its crystal structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction data. This compound crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/a (No. 14) and the unit cell parameters are a 12.938(5), b = 6.834(3), c = 9.100(2) angstrom, and beta=88.12(2)degrees. The crystal structure is similar to that of [enH(2)](0.5)[Ce(HPO4)(SO4)(H2O)] which had a layered structure built tip by Cc centered polyhedra and HPO4 and SO4 tetrahedra, and the diprotonated ethylenediamine cations were located in the interlayer. For other rare earth elements two types of compounds were obtained tinder hydrothermal conditions. The compounds of R = La, Pr, Nd, Sm and Eu are isostructural with [enH(2)](0.5)[Ce(HPO4)(SO4)(H2O)] and those of Gd, Th, Dy, Er and Yb with [enH(2)](0.5)[Ho(HPO4)(SO4)(H2O)]. The unit cell volumes of these compounds decrease by lanthanide contraction. The compounds of R except La, Sm and Eu exhibited the Curie-Weiss paramagnetic behavior. (C)2010 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved

Retrograde drainage for duodenal stump leakage using ileal decompression tube guided by double-balloon endoscopy: a novel case report

Abstract Background Duodenal stump leakage is a serious post-gastrectomy complication, and there have been no reports on endoscopic drainage. Case presentation We report a case of duodenal stump leakage after laparoscopic gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction in a 68-year-old man. First-line conservative management was ineffective. Reoperation was performed because of severe abdominal pain and increased ascites. After reoperation, duodenal stump leakage recurred with bleeding from the anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery. Coil embolization and pigtail catheter insertion were performed. Furthermore, we retrogradely inserted an ileal tube for tube decompression near the duodenal stump using double-balloon endoscopy for effective drainage. After tube insertion, duodenal stump leakage decreased; on the 47th primary postoperative day, the patient was discharged. The primary postoperative course was uneventful after 1 year and 9 months of follow-up. Conclusions This is the first successful case of duodenal stump leakage treated with retrograde decompression tube insertion near the duodenal stump using double-balloon endoscopy