An experimental study on influence of shear failure type partial wall on reinforced concrete frame

Partial walls separated from columns are generally treated as nonstructural elements because their behavior aren’t analyzed much. Partial walls jointed rigidly to RC frames raise horizontal load-carrying capacity, however they may give an influence on RC frames when they fall in brittle failure. Objective of this paper is to clarify the influence of partial walls falling in shear failure on RC frames through a static loading test and a shaking table test. The experiment shows that, after one of the partial walls fails, story drift rapidly increases. It shows progress of flexural deformation at one end of columns, and it may cause story collapse. The result is obtained from both loading tests

Attenuation correction of myocardial SPECT by scatter-photopeak window method in normal subjects

金沢大学医薬保健研究域Objective: Segmentation with scatter and photopeak window data using attenuation correction (SSPAC) method can provide a patient-specific non-uniform attenuation coefficient map only by using photopeak and scatter images without X-ray computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of attenuation correction (AC) by the SSPAC method on normal myocardial perfusion database. Methods: A total of 32 sets of exercise-rest myocardial images with Tc-99 m-sestamibi were acquired in both photopeak (140 keV ± 10%) and scatter (7% of lower side of the photopeak window) energy windows. Myocardial perfusion databases by the SSPAC method and non-AC (NC) were created from 15 female and 17 male subjects with low likelihood of cardiac disease using quantitative perfusion SPECT software. Segmental myocardial counts of a 17-segment model from these databases were compared on the basis of paired t test. Results: AC average myocardial perfusion count was significantly higher than that in NC in the septal and inferior regions (P < 0.02). On the contrary, AC average count was significantly lower in the anterolateral and apical regions (P < 0.01). Coefficient variation of the AC count in the mid, apical and apex regions was lower than that of NC. Conclusions: The SSPAC method can improve average myocardial perfusion uptake in the septal and inferior regions and provide uniform distribution of myocardial perfusion. The SSPAC method could be a practical method of attenuation correction without X-ray CT. © 2009 The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Jardin botanique de Montréal: Jardin japonais

Informational signage photographed on site; The garden was designed by Japanese landscape artist Ken Nakajima, who gave it a contemporary feel with sober, traditional lines, while adding a large number of flowering plants. The garden, which was created with the financial support of the city, several Japanese companies and the governments of Japan, Quebec and Canada, opened on June 28, 1988. The cultural pavilion was created under the direction of architect Hisato Hiraoka and opened on June 22, 1989. It is sukiya style, a synthesis of classic and contemporary styles, and recalls a traditional Japanese home. The Japanese tea ceremony is performed there during the summer. Other traditional Japanese arts, such as Iaido and Ikebana are occasionally demonstrated there as well. The garden also includes a large koi pond. Source: Space for Life (Montreal Botanical Garden) [website]; http://espacepourlavie.ca/en (accessed 7/18/2013

Jardin botanique de Montréal: Jardin japonais

Display of suiseki (viewing stones); The garden was designed by Japanese landscape artist Ken Nakajima, who gave it a contemporary feel with sober, traditional lines, while adding a large number of flowering plants. The garden, which was created with the financial support of the city, several Japanese companies and the governments of Japan, Quebec and Canada, opened on June 28, 1988. The cultural pavilion was created under the direction of architect Hisato Hiraoka and opened on June 22, 1989. It is sukiya style, a synthesis of classic and contemporary styles, and recalls a traditional Japanese home. The Japanese tea ceremony is performed there during the summer. Other traditional Japanese arts, such as Iaido and Ikebana are occasionally demonstrated there as well. The garden also includes a large koi pond. Source: Space for Life (Montreal Botanical Garden) [website]; http://espacepourlavie.ca/en (accessed 7/18/2013

Jardin botanique de Montréal: Jardin japonais

Detail, lotus flowers in bud; The garden was designed by Japanese landscape artist Ken Nakajima, who gave it a contemporary feel with sober, traditional lines, while adding a large number of flowering plants. The garden, which was created with the financial support of the city, several Japanese companies and the governments of Japan, Quebec and Canada, opened on June 28, 1988. The cultural pavilion was created under the direction of architect Hisato Hiraoka and opened on June 22, 1989. It is sukiya style, a synthesis of classic and contemporary styles, and recalls a traditional Japanese home. The Japanese tea ceremony is performed there during the summer. Other traditional Japanese arts, such as Iaido and Ikebana are occasionally demonstrated there as well. The garden also includes a large koi pond. Source: Space for Life (Montreal Botanical Garden) [website]; http://espacepourlavie.ca/en (accessed 7/18/2013