A Method for Obtaining the Residual Load Duration Curve of the Project Power After the Completion of a Run-off-River Hydro-Power

A method for obtaining the residual load duration curve of the project power is developed in the case of planning for the electric power generation of a large combined hydro-steam power system, after the completion of a new run-off-river hydro-power

Bilateral Optic Neuritis and Hypophysitis With Diabetes Insipidus 1 Month After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine: Case Report and Literature Review

Either optic neuritis (neuropathy) or hypopituitarism has been known to occur separately after COVID-19 vaccination. In this report, we describe the rare combination of hypophysitis and optic neuritis which occurred after COVID-19 vaccination. A 74-year-old woman began to have thirst, polydipsia, and polyuria, and was diagnosed as central diabetes insipidus 1 month after the fourth COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed the thickened pituitary stalk and enlarged pituitary gland with high contrast enhancement as well as the absence of high-intensity signals in the posterior pituitary lobe on the T1-weighted image, leading to the diagnosis of lymphocytic hypophysitis. She was well with desmopressin nasal spray until further 2 months later, when she developed bilateral optic neuritis, together with gait disturbance, intention tremor of the upper extremities, urinary retention, constipation, abnormal sensation in the distal part of the lower extremities, and moderate hemiplegia on the left side. Autoantibodies, including anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), were all negative. She showed multifocal spinal cord lesions on MRI and oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid obtained by spinal tap, and so underwent steroid pulse therapy with methylprednisolone in the tentative diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, resulting in visual acuity recovery and alleviation of neurological symptoms. In the literature review, the combination of optic neuritis and hypophysitis, mostly with diabetes insipidus, was reported in 15 patients as case reports before the years of COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 vaccination would trigger the onset of hypophysitis and optic neuritis in this patient

Nucleotide sequence of the genes, encoding the pentaheme cytochrome (dmsC) and the transmembrane protein (dmsB) involved in dimethyl sulfoxide respiration from Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans

AbstractThe nucleotide sequence of the genes encoding a pentaheme cytochrome (dmsC) and a transmembrane protein (dmsB) were determined upstream of the dmsA gene encoding dimethyl sulfoxide reductase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans. dmsC and dmsB encode proteins of 404 and 226 amino acid residues, which show 40% and 26% identity to the pentaheme cytochrome TorC and the transmembrane protein TorD, respectively, of the trimethylamine N-oxide reduction system in Escherichia coli

Am80, a retinoic acid receptor agonist, activates the cardiomyocyte cell cycle and enhances engraftment in the heart

ヒトiPS細胞由来心筋細胞の生着能改善に向けた新しい方法. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-07-14.Am80, a retinoic acid receptor agonist, activates cell cycle in induced cardiomyocytes and enhances heart tissue engraftment. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-07-14.Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (hiPSC) cardiomyocytes are a promising source for regenerative therapy. To realize this therapy, however, their engraftment potential after their injection into the host heart should be improved. Here, we established an efficient method to analyze the cell cycle activity of hiPSC cardiomyocytes using a fluorescence ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system. In vitro high-throughput screening using FUCCI identified a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonist, Am80, as an effective cell cycle activator in hiPSC cardiomyocytes. The transplantation of hiPSC cardiomyocytes treated with Am80 before the injection significantly enhanced the engraftment in damaged mouse heart for 6 months. Finally, we revealed that the activation of endogenous Wnt pathways through both RARA and RARB underlies the Am80-mediated cell cycle activation. Collectively, this study highlights an efficient method to activate cell cycle in hiPSC cardiomyocytes by Am80 as a means to increase the graft size after cell transplantation into a damaged heart

Obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication associated with herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Iatrogenic damage to the seminal tract is one of the causes of obstructive azoospermia, which can be an indication for reconstruction surgery. We present a case of obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication after neonatal herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed with obstructive azoospermia. He had undergone herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele immediately after birth. Reconstruction surgery of both seminal tracts was performed to pursue the possibility of naturally achieved pregnancy. Intra-operative findings demonstrated that both vasa deferentia were interrupted at the internal inguinal rings, although the abdominal end of the right vas leading to the seminal vesicle was found in the abdominal cavity. The discharge from the stump of the testicular end had no sperm, although the right epididymal tubules were dilated with motile sperm. Therefore, we performed right-sided vasovasostomy in the internal inguinal ring and ipsilateral epididymovasostomy simultaneously.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication of herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele. It is important to pay attention to the existence of seminal tracts in such surgery as well as in inguinal herniorrhaphy.</p

Sensor-based analysis of high-precision insertion tasks

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科知的システム創成金沢大学工学部A lot of research efforts an assembly automation problems have been given by many researchers from a variety of communities, e.g., manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence and so on. They mostly focused on the geometric constraints related to a considered task, e.g., relative configuration change between the peg and the hole. Such an approach, however, seems valid only when the dimensional tolerance is fairly large so that it allows to change the relative configuration of the two mating parts in an obvious fashion. This paper investigates the mechanism of a high-precision insertion process from the viewpoint of sensory information. Tolerance considered in the present study is approximately 5 μm. Currently the assembly task is being conducted by skilled human workers. In order to analyze the insertion task, we focus on force and moment information and inclination measurements. Conventional approach, i.e., a position-based analysis, is not appropriate for such a narrow dimensional tolerance because it is unlikely that human operators conduct the task based on position information. This paper presents a newly developed, high-sensitivity moment sensor and experimental results in high-precision insertion tasks

Enormous shrinkage of carbon nanotubes by supersonic stress and low-acceleration electron beam irradiation

The authors demonstrated a new method for inducing enormous shrinkage in single-walled carbon nanotube bundles by applying low energy electron beam irradiation along with supersonic vibration, and a maximum shrinkage rate of −100% cm2/C was obtained under electron acceleration of 1 keV. The characteristic feature of the shrunken single-walled carbon nanotubes was a wavy deformation that affected the entire bundle. The authors believe that a uniaxial stress induced by the supersonic vibration broke the equilibrium of the internal stress and allowed the uniform accumulation of defects under low energy electron beam excitation. The wavy deformation of the single-walled carbon nanotubes resulted in the enormous shrinkage of the bundle

Effect of denosumab on Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a dose-response study of AMG 162 (Denosumab) in patients with RheumatoId arthritis on methotrexate to Validate inhibitory effect on bone Erosion (DRIVE)-a 12-month, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate efficacy and safety of three different regimens of denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (RANK) ligand (RANKL), for Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase II study, 350 Japanese patients with RA between 6 months and <5 years, stratified by glucocorticoid use and rheumatoid factor status, were randomly assigned to subcutaneous injections of placebo or denosumab 60 mg every 6 months (Q6M), every 3 months (Q3M) or every 2 months (Q2M). All patients basically continued methotrexate treatment and had a supplement of calcium and vitamin D throughout the study. The primary endpoint was change in the modified Sharp erosion score from baseline to 12 months. RESULTS: Denosumab significantly inhibited the progression of bone erosion at 12 months compared with the placebo, and the mean changes of the modified Sharp erosion score at 12 months from baseline were 0.99, 0.27 (compared with placebo, p=0.0082), 0.14 (p=0.0036) and 0.09 (p<0.0001) in the placebo, Q6M, Q3M and Q2M, respectively. Secondary endpoint analysis revealed that denosumab also significantly inhibited the increase of the modified total Sharp score compared with the placebo, with no obvious evidence of an effect on joint space narrowing for denosumab. As shown in previous studies, denosumab increased bone mineral density. No apparent difference was observed in the safety profiles of denosumab and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of denosumab to methotrexate has potential as a new therapeutic option for patients with RA with risk factors of joint destruction. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: JapicCTI-101263