Upper Bound Theory for Deformation of Porous Materials

A porous material is idealized in such a way that it possesses an identical yield surface for any volume element throughout the material during a deformation processing. This makes it possible to derive an upper bound theorem on the basis of the plasticity theory for porous metals already proposed by the authors. The theorem is utilized to estimate extrusion pressures and the final density ratios for given initial densities. The estimated values agree well with experimental data. An alternative way of deriving an upper bound to the load is also presented on a modified yield criterion for porous metals

Construction of Mass Concrete Structure Utilizing Ground Settlement from Underpass Construction in the 2nd Phase Kansai International Airport Project

The man-made island of Kansai International Airport is located 5 km offshore in Osaka bay and the water depth at the point is about 20 m. Thickness of the sediments beneath the island is several hundred meters, including 20 m of very soft Holocene clay layer. Huge amount of soil had been reclaimed layer over layer and the total thickness is up to 34 to 45 m. Therefore, large amount of settlement is inevitable and the average settlement forecast in the 2nd phase island over the 60 years period from the start of reclamation work is 18 m. In this paper, design and construction of 2nd phase underpass structure is discussed. The overview of construction of the airport island and settlement prediction is described first, then the idea of constructing the under water level structure while it was still above water level is introduced. The design concept of following the large displacement and method of displacement prediction is described next and verification with survey and evaluation is concluded at last

Exponentially Modified Protein Abundance Index (emPAI) for Estimation of Absolute Protein Amount in Proteomics by the Number of Sequenced Peptides per Protein

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Sr(ii) extraction by crown ether in HFC: entropy driven mechanism through H₂PFTOUD

The solvent extraction of Sr(II) was carried out using dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) and two HFC mixed solvents MS1 and MS2, where MS1 was composed of 30/60 (w/w)% trans-1, 2-dichloroethylene/HFC-43 (HFC-43: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5-decafluoropentane) and MS2 was 5/95 (w/w)% heptane/HFC-43. Nitric acid and perfuruoro-3-6-9-trioxaundecane-1, 11-dioic acid (H₂PFTOUD) were used to study the effect of acid on the extraction. The maximum distribution ratio of Sr(II) (DSr) observed for H2PFTOUD conditions was ∼180, and >10 times larger than aqueous nitric acid conditions. The DSr value was influenced by concentrations of the DCH18C6, Sr(II), and acid, and by temperature. The composition of extracted complexes was estimated using slope analysis as an Sr(II)–anion–DCH18C6 ratio of ∼1 : 2 : 1. From the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements of Sr(II) in the aqueous and organic phases, it is inferred that regardless of the acid used, DCH18C6 coordinates to the first coordination sphere of the Sr(II) extracted complexes and Sr(II) is hydrated (complexation with H₂PFTOUD cannot be distinguished) in the aqueous phase. Thermodynamic data were significantly changed by choice of acid, i.e., both enthalpy and entropy values were negative for nitric acid conditions, on the other hand, entropy values were large and positive for H₂PFTOUD conditions. These results have demonstrated that the combination of HFC solvent and crown ether is applicable for metal extraction

A stress-reduced passaging technique improves the viability of human pluripotent cells

Xeno-free culture systems have expanded the clinical and industrial application of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). However, reproducibility issues, often arising from variability during passaging steps, remain. Here, we describe an improved method for the subculture of human PSCs. The revised method significantly enhances the viability of human PSCs by lowering DNA damage and apoptosis, resulting in more efficient and reproducible downstream applications such as gene editing and directed differentiation. Furthermore, the method does not alter PSC characteristics after long-term culture and attenuates the growth advantage of abnormal subpopulations. This robust passaging method minimizes experimental error and reduces the rate of PSCs failing quality control of human PSC research and application

Recent improvement in lung cancer screening: a comparison of the results carried out in two different time periods.

To evaluate recent improvements in lung cancer screening, we compared the results of recently conducted lung cancer screening with those of a previous screening. This study compared the survival of lung cancer patients detected by lung cancer screening conducted between 1976 and 1984 (early period) with that conducted between 1989 and 1997 (late period). Two hundred seventy-six patients with lung cancer were detected in the early period and 541 patients with lung cancer were detected in the late period. The median survival time (late : 49.8 vs. early : 27.8 months) and the 5-year survival rate (late : 47.8 vs. early : 34.8%) of the patients with lung cancer detected in the late period were significantly better than those in the early period (p = 0.0054). Among patients undergoing resection, the proportion of pathological stage I patients in the late period was significantly higher than that in the early period (late : 60.8 vs. early : 54.9%, p = 0.005). Multivariate analysis showed that the screening time period was a significant prognostic factor (hazard ratio = 0.685, 95% confidence interval : 0.563-0.832, p = 0.0002). These results were consistent with the findings of case-control studies of lung cancer screening programs in the late period recently conducted in Japan, which also showed a greater efficacy for screening than for previous case-control studies in the early period.</p

A cross-sectional investigation of the quality of selected medicines in Cambodia in 2010.

Access to good-quality medicines in many countries is largely hindered by the rampant circulation of spurious/falsely labeled/falsified/counterfeit (SFFC) and substandard medicines. In 2006, the Ministry of Health of Cambodia, in collaboration with Kanazawa University, Japan, initiated a project to combat SFFC medicines. To assess the quality of medicines and prevalence of SFFC medicines among selected products, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in Cambodia. Cefixime, omeprazole, co-trimoxazole, clarithromycin, and sildenafil were selected as candidate medicines. These medicines were purchased from private community drug outlets in the capital, Phnom Penh, and Svay Rieng and Kandal provinces through a stratified random sampling scheme in July 2010. In total, 325 medicine samples were collected from 111 drug outlets. Non-licensed outlets were more commonly encountered in rural than in urban areas (p < 0.01). Of all the samples, 93.5% were registered and 80% were foreign products. Samples without registration numbers were found more frequently among foreign-manufactured products than in domestic ones (p < 0.01). According to pharmacopeial analytical results, 14.5%, 4.6%, and 24.6% of the samples were unacceptable in quantity, content uniformity, and dissolution test, respectively. All the ultimately unacceptable samples in the content uniformity tests were of foreign origin. Following authenticity investigations conducted with the respective manufacturers and medicine regulatory authorities, an unregistered product of cefixime collected from a pharmacy was confirmed as an SFFC medicine. However, the sample was acceptable in quantity, content uniformity, and dissolution test. The results of this survey indicate that medicine counterfeiting is not limited to essential medicines in Cambodia: newer-generation medicines are also targeted. Concerted efforts by both domestic and foreign manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and regulatory authorities should help improve the quality of medicines

Laminin-based cell adhesion anchors microtubule plus ends to the epithelial cell basal cortex through LL5α/β

A newly discovered interaction between LL5s, laminins, and integrins reveals how the extracellular matrix directs microtubule polarity in epithelial tissues