Laser Sintering Fabrication of Highly Porous Models Utilizing Water Leachable Filler-Experimental Investigation into Process Parameters

The authors are developing a laser sintering process to fabricate highly porous models with such high porosities as 90% and more. In the process, water-soluble filler is mixed with designated plastic powder and leached out after laser sintering process is finished to generate pores where the grains used to exist. Previously, the authors reported successful application of this technology on a tissue engineering scaffold. However, relationship between process parameters and obtained results has not been clarified. This paper reports experimental investigation into effects of optimizing process parameters such as mixture, grain size of the filler on resultant porosity, pore size and process resolutionMechanical Engineerin

The rise and fall of multinational enterprises in Vietnam : survival analysis using census data during 2000-2011

Using census data from 2000–2011, we examined the survival of multinational enterprises (MNEs) located in Vietnam using Cox hazard models with time–variant covariates. Beside enterprises’ characteristics and performance, we found that the firm characteristics, structure of the ownership and nationalities of the foreign partners are associated with the probability of exiting, which suggests that a joint–venture between a foreign partner and a domestic non–state owned enterprise is more likely to exit than other types of MNEs. Also, a firm with a greater capital share owned by foreign partners was found to survive longer. Furthermore, time cost due to bureaucratic procedures and inspections, among indicators of local government performance, was found to be associated with a greater probability of MNEs exiting

The trajectory of extractive urbanism: examining the implications of Vale's presence and withdrawal for the coal frontier and its urban spaces in Tete

Motivated by the increased demand for coal in the first decade of this century, multinational mining firms, including the Brazilian Vale, arrived in Tete province, Mozambique and expanded the coal frontier. The recent global agenda for energy transition made Vale decide to divest from Tete, selling all the mining-related assets to a new company, Indian Vulcan. This divestment is likely to lead to the restructuring of the expanded coal frontier and generate wider implications for the inhabitants than currently assumed in studies, which tend to focus on enclaves and resettlement sites constructed by Vale. In this paper, we argue that paying attention to urban spaces beyond the enclaves and resettlement sites helps us establish a more comprehensive understanding of the potential consequences of Vale's investment and divestment on Tete's coal frontier. Critically engaging with the emerging literature on extractive urbanism and drawing on ethnographic field research in three urban spaces, the paper shows that Vale's divestment following the energy transition agenda has deepened uncertainty and generated scepticism about the future development of urban spaces among the frontier inhabitants

Genetic screening for malignant hyperthermia and comparison of clinical symptoms in Japan

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an anaesthetic complication that causes an abnormal hypermetabolic state. RYR1 encoding ryanodine receptors of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and CACNA1S encoding α subunits of dihydropyridine receptors are known to be associated with MH pathogenicity. We performed genetic screening using next-generation sequencing to evaluate the prevalence of genes associated with MH pathogenicity and clinical symptoms. This was a retrospective cohort study wherein next-generation sequencing data of 77 families diagnosed with MH predisposition by calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) tests from 1995 to 2019 was used to search for RYR1 and CACNA1S variants. Furthermore, the clinical symptoms and predisposition tests in participants with RYR1 and CACNA1S variants were compared. In the 77 families, 44.2%, 7.8%, and 48.1% individuals had RYR1, CACNA1S, and neither RYR1 nor CACNA1S variants, respectively. Clinically significant differences were found in the maximum body temperature, maximum elevated body temperature for 15 min, creatinine kinase level, and CICR rate between the RYR1 and CACNA1S groups. The prevalence of pathogenic CACNA1S variants appears to be prominent in Japan. The severity of clinical symptoms and the CICR rate were greater in individuals with RYR1 variants than in those with CACNA1S variants, likely due to more direct regulation of calcium levels by ryanodine receptors than by dihydropyridine receptors. Genetic analysis of MH in future studies may help identify other genes associated with MH, which will further clarify the relationship between genotypes and MH symptoms and contribute to safer anaesthesia practice.This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (grant number: 17K16733 to Y.N. and 20K17783 to R.K.) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and by the Takeda Science Foundation (H.K.)

Classic Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma Incur a Larger Number of Chromosomal Losses Than Seen in the Eosinophilic Subtype

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) is a renal tumor subtype with a good prognosis, characterized by multiple chromosomal copy number variations (CNV). The World Health Organization (WHO) chRCC classification guidelines define a classic and an eosinophilic variant. Large cells with reticular cytoplasm and prominent cell membranes (pale cells) are characteristic for classic chRCC. Classic and eosinophilic variants were defined in 42 Swiss chRCCs, 119 Japanese chRCCs and in whole-slide digital images of 66 chRCCs from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) kidney chromophobe (KICH) dataset. 32 of 42 (76.2%) Swiss chRCCs, 90 of 119 (75.6%) Japanese chRCCs and 53 of 66 (80.3%) TCGA-KICH were classic chRCCs. There was no survival difference between eosinophilic and classic chRCC in all three cohorts. To identify a genotype/phenotype correlation, we performed a genome-wide CNV analysis using Affymetrix OncoScan$^{®}$ CNV Assay (Affymetrix/Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) in 33 Swiss chRCCs. TCGA-KICH subtypes were compared with TCGA CNV data. In the combined Swiss and TCGA-KICH cohorts, losses of chromosome 1, 2, 6, 10, 13, and 17 were significantly more frequent in classic chRCC (p < 0.05, each), suggesting that classic chRCC are characterized by higher chromosomal instability. This molecular difference justifies the definition of two chRCC variants. Absence of pale cells could be used as main histological criterion to define the eosinophilic variant of chRCC

低分子CD4 mimic存在下で中和感受性が増強される性質を持つサルヒト免疫不全ウイルスの作製

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(医科学)甲第18186号医科博第51号新制||医科||4(附属図書館)31044京都大学大学院医学研究科医科学専攻(主査)教授 小柳 義夫, 教授 松岡 雅雄, 教授 朝長 啓造学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Medical ScienceKyoto UniversityDFA

Generation of a monkey-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 carrying env from a CCR5-tropic subtype C clinical isolate

Several derivatives of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) that evade macaque restriction factors and establish infection in pig-tailed macaques (PtMs) have been described. These monkey-tropic HIV-1s utilize CXCR4 as a co-receptor that differs from CCR5 used by most currently circulating HIV-1 strains. We generated a new monkey-tropic HIV-1 carrying env from a CCR5-tropic subtype C HIV-1 clinical isolate. Using intracellular homologous recombination, we generated an uncloned chimeric virus consisting of at least seven types of recombination breakpoints in the region between vpr and env. The virus increased its replication capacity while maintaining CCR5 tropism after in vitro passage in PtM primary lymphocytes. PtM infection with the adapted virus exhibited high peak viremia levels in plasma while the virus was undetectable at 12–16 weeks. This virus serves as starting point for generating a pathogenic monkey-tropic HIV-1 with CCR5-tropic subtype C env, perhaps through serial passage in macaques