282 research outputs found
Field Telemetry of Blade-rotor Coupled Torsional Vibration at Matuura Power Station Number 1 Unit
The quasi-modal reduction technique and finite element model (FEM) were used to construct an analytical model for the blade-rotor coupled torsional vibration of a steam turbine generator of the Matuura Power Station. A single rotor test was executed in order to evaluate umbrella vibration characteristics. Based on the single rotor test results and the quasi-modal procedure, the total rotor system was analyzed to predict coupled torsional frequencies. Finally, field measurement of the vibration of the last stage buckets was made, which confirmed that the double synchronous resonance was 124.2 Hz, meaning that the machine can be safely operated. The measured eigen values are very close to the predicted value. The single rotor test and this analytical procedure thus proved to be a valid technique to estimate coupled torsional vibration
Toll-like receptor–independent gene induction program activated by mammalian DNA escaped from apoptotic DNA degradation
Deoxyribonuclease (DNase) II in macrophages cleaves the DNA of engulfed apoptotic cells and of nuclei expelled from erythroid precursor cells. DNase II–deficient mouse embryos accumulate undigested DNA in macrophages, and die in feto because of the activation of the interferon β (IFNβ) gene. Here, we found that the F4/80-positive macrophages in DNase II−/− fetal liver specifically produce a set of cytokines such as IFNβ, TNFα, and CXCL10. Whereas, IFN-inducible genes (2′5′-oligo(A) synthetase, IRF7, and ISG15) were expressed not only in macrophages but also in other F4/80-negative cells. When DNase II−/− macrophages or embryonal fibroblasts engulfed apoptotic cells, they expressed the IFNβ and CXCL10 genes. The ablation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 and 9, or their adaptor molecules (MyD88 and TRIF), had no effect on the lethality of the DNase II−/− mice. These results indicate that there is a TLR-independent sensing mechanism to activate the innate immunity for the endogenous DNA escaping lysosomal degradation
Reconstruction of the migratory history of the catadromous fourspine sculpin Cottus kazika from the Monobe and Shimanto River, Kochi prefecture in southern Shikoku, using otolith Sr/Ca concentration ratios
カマキリ当歳魚の遡上履歴を推定する目的で,耳石輪紋の日周性ならびに耳石Sr/Ca比と塩分濃度との関係について調べた。その結果,本種の耳石輪紋は日周輪であること,および耳石Sr/Ca比は海水中で顕著に上昇することを確認した。これらの結果をもとに,高知県四万十川および物部川で採集したカマキリ当歳魚の遡上時期を推定したところ,海水から淡水への移行期は,いずれの河川においても3月上旬と推定された。The fourspine sculpin (Cottus kazika) is a catadromous member of the family Cottidae that is endemic to Japan. Our objective was to evaluate the utility of using sagittal otolith Sr/Ca concentration ratios to document the movement of juvenile sculpin between the estuarine areas and freshwater of the Shimanto and Monobe Rivers in southern Shikoku. We confirmed the daily periodicity of increment formation and the correlation between the otolith Sr/Ca ratio and ambient salinity at laboratory condition. Otolith profiles suggested that juveniles tended to move from seawater to freshwater at the beginning of March in both river systems
Continuous Flow Synthesis of ZSM-5 Zeolite on the Order of Seconds
Zeolites have typically been synthesized via hydrothermal treatment, a process designed to artificially mimic the geological formation conditions of natural zeolites. This synthesis route, typically carried out in batch reactors like autoclaves, takes a time so long (typically, on the order of days) that the crystallization of zeolites had long been believed to be very slow in nature. Long periods of hydrothermal treatment also cause a burden on both energy efficiency and operational costs. Recently, we have reported the ultrafast syntheses of a class of industrially important zeolites within several minutes.[1,2] Further shortening the crystallization time to the order of seconds would be a great challenge but can significantly benefit the mass product of zeolites as well as the fundamental understanding of the crystallization mechanism
ヨーロッパにおける先進的なデザイン教育方法の調査研究
本研究はデザイン教育研究センターの研究活動、すなわちデザイナーやアーティストを目指す学生のための新たな教育プログラム開発のための調査研究、これを基盤とした公開特別講義を中心とするカリキュラムへの組み込み、研究成果の報告と社会とのコミュニケーションを進めるためのメディアとしての書籍出版、という一連の活動と連動するものである。ここでは、出版された『中山英之/スケッチング』(新宿書房刊)について解説が行われる。はじめに1 本の線があり、それに線が加わり、そのたびごとにそこに現れる空間が変わっていく、このスケッチの方法は中山氏が普段の設計プロセスにおいても行っているスケッチの方法であり、思考の枠組みを広げ、次元を行き来しながら設計を進めていくという独特な方法論を示すものである。このスケッチの描き方を書籍デザインそのものに反映させる試みをおこなった。まるで、絵本のように見える親しみやすい線書きのスケッチには、限りなく奥の深いデザインの思想が隠されている。In early June 2009, Prof. Yuichiro Kodama arranged forNakayama to address our Department of EnvironmentalDesign. At this special guest lecture, he presented anoverview of his projects since going independent fromIto’s office, giving us insight into the rigorous reasoningthat shapes his spaces while yet allowing a remarkablesensitivity toward fragile ephemera: clover growing on aprospective house site, thick weeds in a field designatedfor a kiosk design competition in Hokkaido. Using linedrawings to illustrate how he expands upon a basicframework of spatial concepts, his secret seems to lie inthat wondrous window of consciousness he invokessomewhere between two and three dimensions. InNovember, toward this book, Nakayama gave a privatelecture at his office to only a few people involved with theediting, design and publishing
情報化社会における大学のデザイン導入教育に関する研究
神戸芸術工科大学デザイン教育研究センターでは、新しいデザイン教育プログラムに関する研究を継続的におこなっている。新しい社会構造、新しいテクノロジー環境の中では大学教育も変わるべきである。そのような視点から、たとえば情報化社会においてアートとデザインの教育がどのように変わっていくのか、このことは重要な研究テーマのひとつとなる。こうした観点から世界の新たなデザイン教育領域や教育方法を見渡すと、ロンドンの王立芸術学院におけるインタラクション・デザイン教育が際立っている。これまで私たちは数回にわたり同大学院ディグリーショウを訪問し、アンソニー・ダン専攻主任にインタビューをおこなっている。またアンソニー・ダンとフィオナ・レイビイ両氏を招聘し、RCAにおける教育プログラムおよび彼ら自身のデザイン活動について公開特別講義を開催してきた。本年度はフィオナ・レイビイ氏を招いた武蔵野美術大学・IAMAS情報科学芸術大学院大学・神戸芸術工科大学の三大学共同デザインワークショップを開催した。本稿はこの国際デザインワークショップの記録である。The KDU Center for Design Studies continues to further studies into new design education programmes. Higher education can and must change in keeping with new social structures and new technological environments, one crucial aspect being the issue of how art and design education should reflect information society. In this regard, London’s Royal College of Art stands out among design education institutions around the world f or the range and teaching methods of its Design Interactions curriculum.Over the years, we visited RCA degree shows and interviewed AnthonyDunne (currently department Chairman). We also invited Dunne and Raby to give a Special Lecture at KDU on the RCA curriculum and their own design activities.In this year Kobe Design University, together with Musashino Art University and the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, hosted a design workshop with Fiona Raby.This is the document of this international design workshop
大学間国際ジョイントワークショップおよび教育ラウンドテーブル開催を基盤とするデザイン教育の新たな可能性に関する実践的研究
研究の目的は、インタラクションデザインに関するこれまでの学術的な交流や研究の基盤に立ち、日本における新しい教育領域・教育方法としてのインタラクションデザインの可能性もしくは問題点などを、実際の教育現場において確認し、導入のための基礎を構築することにある。本研究の中心となったのは、2012年12月17~21日に開催したスプツニ子!客員教授によるインタラクションデザインワークショップである。これは「Body Futures」をテーマとした、未来における身体の在り方を考えるワークショップであり、公開講評会をKIITOで行ない、提案された各グループのプロジェクトは2013年2月22~28日の期間、同じくKIITOにおいて開催された「Body Futures展」において展示された。このワークショップでは、大学院と学部の連携、大学と企業(アシックス)との連携が試みられた。異なる年齢層の参加者間の連携と、異なる組織領域間の連携が新たな発想を生み出し、「未来の身体」を様々な観点からとらえた科学的な提案が行なわれた。The objective of this study is to identify possibilities and problems related to interaction design within actual educational practice, and thus to construct a foundation for its introducation as a new field and methodology of study in Japan. The main part of this study derives from an interaction design workshop conducted 17-21 December 2012 by Visiting Professor Sputniko! (Hiromi Ozaki) entitled "Body Futures" that proposed to consider further dimensions of physicality. An open forum was subsequently held at KIITO and group projects developed from the workshop were exhibited 22-28 February 2013 under the same Body Futures title, again at KIITO. This workshop attempted to create linkages between the graduate school and university departments, as well as between the university and commercial enterprise (ASICS). It spawned connections between participants of different ages, fostered new thinking across diverse organisational sectors, and proposed various scientific ideas about the future of the body
First Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program
The Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) is a three-layered
imaging survey aimed at addressing some of the most outstanding questions in
astronomy today, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The
survey has been awarded 300 nights of observing time at the Subaru Telescope
and it started in March 2014. This paper presents the first public data release
of HSC-SSP. This release includes data taken in the first 1.7 years of
observations (61.5 nights) and each of the Wide, Deep, and UltraDeep layers
covers about 108, 26, and 4 square degrees down to depths of i~26.4, ~26.5, and
~27.0 mag, respectively (5sigma for point sources). All the layers are observed
in five broad bands (grizy), and the Deep and UltraDeep layers are observed in
narrow bands as well. We achieve an impressive image quality of 0.6 arcsec in
the i-band in the Wide layer. We show that we achieve 1-2 per cent PSF
photometry (rms) both internally and externally (against Pan-STARRS1), and ~10
mas and 40 mas internal and external astrometric accuracy, respectively. Both
the calibrated images and catalogs are made available to the community through
dedicated user interfaces and database servers. In addition to the pipeline
products, we also provide value-added products such as photometric redshifts
and a collection of public spectroscopic redshifts. Detailed descriptions of
all the data can be found online. The data release website is
https://hsc-release.mtk.nao.ac.jp/.Comment: 34 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables, moderate revision, accepted for
publication in PAS
Cardiomyocyte Formation by Skeletal Muscle-Derived Multi-Myogenic Stem Cells after Transplantation into Infarcted Myocardium
BACKGROUND: Cellular cardiomyoplasty for myocardial infarction has been developed using various cell types. However, complete differentiation and/or trans-differentiation into cardiomyocytes have never occurred in these transplant studies, whereas functional contributions were reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: Skeletal muscle interstitium-derived CD34(+)/CD45(-) (Sk-34) cells were purified from green fluorescent protein transgenic mice by flowcytometory. Cardiac differentiation of Sk-34 cells was examined by in vitro clonal culture and co-culture with embryonic cardiomyocytes, and in vivo transplantation into a nude rat myocardial infarction (MI) model (left ventricle). Lower relative expression of cardiomyogenic transcription factors, such as GATA-4, Nkx2-5, Isl-1, Mef2 and Hand2, was seen in clonal cell culture. However, vigorous expression of these factors was seen on co-culture with embryonic cardiomyocytes, together with formation of gap-junctions and synchronous contraction following sphere-like colony formation. At 4 weeks after transplantation of freshly isolated Sk-34 cells, donor cells exhibited typical cardiomyocyte structure with formation of gap-junctions, as well as intercalated discs and desmosomes, between donor and recipient and/or donor and donor cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis detecting the rat and mouse genomic DNA and immunoelectron microscopy using anti-GFP revealed donor-derived cells. Transplanted Sk-34 cells were incorporated into infarcted portions of recipient muscles and contributed to cardiac reconstitution. Significant improvement in left ventricular function, as evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography and micro-tip conductance catheter, was also observed. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Skeletal muscle-derived multipotent Sk-34 cells that can give rise to skeletal and smooth muscle cells as reported previously, also give rise to cardiac muscle cells as multi-myogenic stem cells, and thus are a potential source for practical cellular cardiomyoplasty
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