Practical Example of Introductory Engineering Education Based on the Design Process and Teaching Methodology Using a Gyro Bicycle

This report describes a workshop on the Dynamics of Machinery based on the fabrication of a gyro- bicycle in a summer school program for junior high school students. The workshop was conducted by engineering students who had completed “Creative Research”, an engineering design course at the National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College (Okinawa KOSEN). The paper reports on the approximately one month run-up to the workshop and describes the classroom scene on the day of presentation. At the close of the workshop, participants were asked to complete an evaluative questionnaire. Responses were quite positive with respect to the lecture slides, guidance and workshop content. On the instructor side, it was confirmed that to promote student understanding, communications and teaching skills are crucial, although it has a passive impression for the achievement level of the workshop

Association of glucocorticoid doses and emotional health in lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS): a cross-sectional study

Background While survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has improved substantially, problems remain in the management of their emotional health. Medium to high-dose glucocorticoid doses are known to worsen emotional health; the effect is unclear among patients receiving relatively low-dose glucocorticoids. This study aims to investigate the association between low glucocorticoid doses and emotional health in lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS). Methods This cross-sectional study drew on data from SLE patients in 10 Japanese institutions. The participants were adult patients with SLE duration of >= 1 year who met LLDAS criteria at the study visit from April 2018 through September 2019. The exposure was the daily glucocorticoid dose (mg oral prednisolone). The outcome was the emotional health score of the lupus patient-reported outcome scale (range: 0 to 100). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed with adjustment for confounders including disease-related damage, activity, and psychotropic drug use. Results Of 192 patients enrolled, 175 were included in the analysis. Their characteristics were as follows: female, 89.7%; median age, 47 years (interquartile range (IQR): 37.0, 61.0). Median glucocorticoid dose was 4.0 mg (IQR 2.0, 5.0), and median emotional health score 79.2 (IQR 58.3, 91.7). Multiple linear regression analysis showed daily glucocorticoid doses to be associated with worse emotional health (beta coefficient = - 2.54 [95% confidence interval - 4.48 to - 0.60], P = 0.01). Conclusions Daily glucocorticoid doses were inversely associated with emotional health among SLE patients in LLDAS. Further studies are needed to determine whether glucocorticoid tapering leads to clinically significant improvements in emotional health

Characterization of Geometrical Changes of Spherical Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) Foam Elements during Compressive Deformation

The mechanical properties of Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) foam elements depend strongly upon their internal porous and external structural geometry. This paper reports on a detailed investigation of external (e.g. shape and size) and internal (e.g. distribution, size, number of pores) geometry and porosity changes of APM foam elements, during compressive loading by means of the ex-situ micro-Computed Tomography, and advanced digital image analysis and recognition. The results show that the porosity of APM foam elements decreases by only 25% at the engineering strain of 70% due to an increase of the number of pores at high stages of compressive deformation. The APM foam elements also exhibit a positive macroscopic Poisson’s ratio of υ = 0.2, which is uncharacteristic for cellular structures

Development of Arthritis as the Initial Involvement in Adult-Onset Cutaneous Polyarteritis Nodosa: Two Cases and Literature Review

Articular symptoms are commonly present in polyarteritis nodosa (PAN). Meanwhile, they may occur as the initial and main involvement of PAN, raising a concern of a delay in a definitive diagnosis of disease unless the histological evidence is obtained. Herein, we report two cases of cutaneous PAN (c-PAN) in which arthritis developed as the initial clinical episode of disease and we argued, through a review of the literature, the clinical feature of patients presenting with arthritis as the initial symptom of PAN. To our knowledge, only six cases have been reported in the English literature, and all six patients were categorized as having c-PAN. Of those patients, four had arthritis with indicating destructive changes. A median of 9 years elapsed prior to the induction of immunosuppressive treatment despite the fact that the other reviewed cases as well as our two patients, who received treatment significantly earlier, showed no evidence of joint destruction. Taken together, this report suggests that the early induction of therapy based on the definitive diagnosis of PAN may be required for preventing joint disruption even though it is not easy to make a diagnosis of PAN unless biopsied tissue can provide the evidence of necrotizing vasculitis

Detailed analysis of closed-cell aluminum alloy foam internal structure changes during compressive deformation

This paper proposes the new methodology for geometrical properties identification of step‐wise deformed closed‐cell aluminum alloy foam. The change of internal structure of cylindrical foam specimens during deformation is ex situ recorded by a micro computed tomography scanner. The geometry of five specimens is analyzed in un‐deformed and several deformed states until 70% of engineering strain. The obtained CT images is used to construct the 3D computer models of un‐deformed/deformed foam specimens. These are then subjected to an automated analysis of the geometrical properties of internal structure to determine the size, distribution, and orientation of the pores. The results provide the basis for further analysis of the variation in internal structure during the deformation process. The internal structure of un‐deformed specimens exhibits a pore orientation dependent on the fabrication process. Significant changes of internal pore structure is observed during the deformation process, where the specimens with small spatial variation of porosity sustains larger strains until failure under compressive load. The specimens with larger spatial variation of porosity and larger pore concentrations disintegrate earlier.publishe