ナノ スケール ドウセキソウ マク ノ ネツショリ ニヨル ヒョウメン ケイジョウ ト ナイブ オウリョク ノ ヘンカ キョドウ

The specimen prepared in this study was multi-layer aluminum nitride and copper films deposited on thermal oxidation silicon by dc sputtering. Thermal stresses in the copper layers were investigated by ultra high X-rays of synchrotron radiation in the heating and cooling process. It found from the sin2Ψ diagrams of the multi-layered film that the copper layers consisted of crystal grains which had two different orientations. One was randomly orientation, and the other was {111} orientation. The FWHM of the diffraction from the {111}-oriented crystal grains was constant regardless of heating temperature. On the other hand, the FWHM of the diffraction from the randomly-oriented crystal grains was decreased with increasing heating temperature at 1st heating cycle and it became constant regardless of heating temperature after 1st heating cycle. The 2θ-sin2θ diagrams of the multi-layered film for the stress measurement showed non-linear. We could obtain thermal stresses in two different orientation crystal grains from the non-linear 2θ-sin2θ diagram at same time. For both crystal grains, the thermal stress differences between the 1st heating and the 1st cooling cycles were shown as a hysteresis loop. In the case of the 2nd thermal cycles, the thermal stresses changed linearly for both crystal grains. For the 1st heating cycle, the compressive thermal stress in the {111}-oriented crystal grains was larger than that in the randomly-oriented one

Novel method to rescue a lethal phenotype through integration of target gene onto the X-chromosome.

The loss-of-function mutations of serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) gene are associated with human chronic pancreatitis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We previously reported that mice lacking Spink3, the murine homologue of human SPINK1, die perinatally due to massive pancreatic acinar cell death, precluding investigation of the effects of SPINK1 deficiency. To circumvent perinatal lethality, we have developed a novel method to integrate human SPINK1 gene on the X chromosome using Cre-loxP technology and thus generated transgenic mice termed "X-SPINK1". Consistent with the fact that one of the two X chromosomes is randomly inactivated, X-SPINK1 mice exhibit mosaic pattern of SPINK1 expression. Crossing of X-SPINK1 mice with Spink3+/- mice rescued perinatal lethality, but the resulting Spink3-/-;XXSPINK1 mice developed spontaneous pancreatitis characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis. The results show that mice lacking a gene essential for cell survival can be rescued by expressing this gene on the X chromosome. The Spink3-/-;XXSPINK1 mice, in which this method has been applied to partially restore SPINK1 function, present a novel genetic model of chronic pancreatitis

Electrochemical Na-Insertion/Extraction Properties of Phosphorus Electrodes in Ionic Liquid Electrolytes

The electrochemical Na-insertion/extraction properties of phosphorus as a Na-ion battery anode in ionic liquid electrolytes were investigated by using a thick film without any binder or conductive additive. The ionic liquid with more electrochemically-stable cation structure, 1-((2-methoxyethoxy)methyl)-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (Py1MEM-FSA), delivered a high reversible capacity of 310 mA h g−1 at the 100th cycle, whereas the phosphorus electrode in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (EMI-FSA) showed a low capacity of only 110 mA h g−1. It was revealed that disintegration of the electrode after cycling was effectively suppressed by applying Py1MEM-FSA instead of an organic electrolyte including propylene carbonate (PC), and that a surface layer induced by the decomposition of EMI-FSA hindered Na-insertion into the active material layer. The performance obtained in Py1MEM-FSA was very superior to that in PC. We applied for the first time a closed-system fire-resistance test to the ionic liquid electrolyte for quantitatively evaluating its non-flammability. The Py1MEM-FSA-based electrolyte exhibited an excellent fire resistance in comparison with the PC-based organic electrolyte, which can be an advantage for realizing a Na-ion battery with a high-energy density and a high safety

Synergy between the ESCRT-III complex and Deltex defines a ligand-independent Notch signal

The ESCRT-III complex component Shrub plays a pivotal rate-limiting step in late endosomal ligand-independent Notch activation

Synergy between the ESCRT-III complex and Deltex defines a ligand-independent Notch signal

The ESCRT-III complex component Shrub plays a pivotal rate-limiting step in late endosomal ligand-independent Notch activation

Initial Surgical Versus Conservative Strategies in Patients With Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis

AbstractBackgroundCurrent guidelines generally recommend watchful waiting until symptoms emerge for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS).ObjectivesThe study sought to compare the long-term outcomes of initial AVR versus conservative strategies following the diagnosis of asymptomatic severe AS.MethodsWe used data from a large multicenter registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS (peak aortic jet velocity >4.0 m/s, or mean aortic pressure gradient >40 mm Hg, or aortic valve area <1.0 cm2) between January 2003 and December 2011. Among 1,808 asymptomatic patients, the initial AVR and conservative strategies were chosen in 291 patients, and 1,517 patients, respectively. Median follow-up was 1,361 days with 90% follow-up rate at 2 years. The propensity score–matched cohort of 582 patients (n = 291 in each group) was developed as the main analysis set for the current report.ResultsBaseline characteristics of the propensity score–matched cohort were largely comparable, except for the slightly younger age and the greater AS severity in the initial AVR group. In the conservative group, AVR was performed in 41% of patients during follow-up. The cumulative 5-year incidences of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization were significantly lower in the initial AVR group than in the conservative group (15.4% vs. 26.4%, p = 0.009; 3.8% vs. 19.9%, p < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsThe long-term outcome of asymptomatic patients with severe AS was dismal when managed conservatively in this real-world analysis and might be substantially improved by an initial AVR strategy. (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis Registry; UMIN000012140

「心拍再開」の内生性を考慮したウツタイン統計データによる救命曲線の推定

本研究では,2008年度と2009年度のウツタイン統計データを用いて,救急活動の時間短縮が心肺停止傷病者の1ヵ月生存確率に与える影響の分析を行うために,「1ヵ月生存」と「心拍再開」からなる2方程式プロビット・モデルを推定し救命曲線の推定を行った.「心拍再開」の内生性を考慮することにより坂本ら[2011]よりも高い再現性を得ることができた

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection