Note on air temperature measurement by automatic weather stations in Antarctica

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

Current and Future Gene Therapy for Malignant Gliomas

Malignant gliomas are the most common neoplasm in the central nervous system. When treated with conventional treatments including surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy, the average life expectancy of the most malignant type, glioblastoma multiforme is usually less than 1 year. Therefore, gene therapy is expected to be an effective and possibly curative treatment. Many gene therapeutic approaches have demonstrated efficacy in experimental animal models. However, the current clinical trials are disappointing. This review focuses on current therapeutic genes/vectors/delivery systems/targeting strategies in order to introduce updated trends and hopefully indicate prospective gene therapy for malignant gliomas

Study of hot tearing through ingot bending test: thermomechanical and solute transport analysis

International audienceHot tearing is one of the critical defects in cast products. It takes place close to the end of solidification, typically for solid fraction between 0.9 and 1.0, when the material is subjected to deformation based on tensile stress. In this study, a hot tearing experiment, so-called "bending test", is carried out in which a cast ingot is deformed by an external tool before the ingot is fully solidified. To analyze the experiment, two types of thermomechanical simulation are performed. The first one is a classical thermomechanical approach in which the mushy zone (composed of liquid and solid phases) is considered as a homogenized material so that a unique velocity field is solved for [1, 2]. Through stress-strain analyses, macroscopic hot tearing criteria found in literature are then evaluated [3]. The second type is an effective "two phase" modelling approach in which the liquid and solid velocity fields are computed separately in the mushy zone [4]. It allows simulating solute transport phenomena leading to macrosegregation induced by deformation shrinkage and advection. The effect of micro- and macro-segregation on hot tearing sensitivity is then discusse

Study of hot tearing and macrosegregation through ingot bending test and its numerical simulation

International audienceIngot bending tests are performed on the already formed solid shell of a 450 kg solidifying ingot. It is designed in order to be representative of two defects occurring during secondary cooling in steel continuous casting: hot tearing and macrosegregation. Ingots show the defects which result from the application of bending. In order to understand the different physical phenomena, finite element numerical modelling of the test has been developed, using two different approaches. A first approach consists of a 3D finite element thermomechanical simulation. Hot tearing criteria, based on strain, strain rate and two values for solid fraction are then evaluated. It is demonstrated that such a strain based criterion has an excellent capability to predict the formation of hot tears. A second approach consists of a 2D planar finite element simulation in the median section of the ingot. A two-phase formulation is used, in which the velocity of the liquid and solid phases are distinguished. The simulation shows how solutes are redistributed through the ingot under the effect of bending. Solute-depleted and enriched regions are well reproduced, but peak values of macrosegregation are underestimated

Evaluation of Whole Body Counter at Nagasaki University

A whole body counter was installed at Nagasaki University in 1968. Evaluation of the whole body counter was done by accumulated data during 15 years since its installation. The items used for the evaluation were the background radiation, the resolution and sensitivity of the measurement system. The characteristics of the apparatus has been stable for these years: The background counting rate was 1400 cpm, the relative resolution for 1.4 MeV gamma-rays was 8.5 %, and the sensitivity for 1 kg of potassium chloride (KC1) was 2150 cpm. The number of experimental and clinical measurements for patients was about 350 every year. The most frequent measurements were of K-40 and Cs-137; 74 %. The repeated measurements of potassium concentration for healthy subjects were performed during a long period, and were analyzed

Rapid screening method for detecting highly pathogenic Streptococcus intermedius strains carrying a mutation in the lacR gene

Streptococcus intermedius is a member of the normal human commensal flora and secretes a human-specific cytolysin intermedilysin (ILY) as a major virulence factor. Expression of ily is repressed by LacR and loss-of-function mutations of LacR are observed in many ILY high-producing strains isolated from deep-seated abscesses, suggesting that high ILY production is necessary for increased virulence. However, because ILY exhibits no β-hemolysis on animal blood agar plates, differentiating ILY high- and low-producing strains using conventional laboratory methods is not possible. Interestingly, S. intermedius also produces glycosidases, including MsgA and NanA, which exhibit N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and neuraminidase activities, respectively. Moreover, MsgA expression, but not NanA, is negatively regulated by LacR. Here we measured the activities of MsgA, NanA and ILY in strains isolated from clinical specimens and dental plaque to determine the correlation between these glycosidase activities and ILY hemolytic activity. Hemolytic activity showed a strong positive correlation with MsgA and a weak negative correlation with NanA activities. Therefore, we calculated the ratio of MsgA and NanA activity (M/N ratio). This value showed a stronger positive correlation (r = 0.81) with ILY hemolytic activity and many strains with high M/N ratios (> 2) were ILY high-producers with loss-of-function mutations in LacR.Rapid screening method for highly pathogenic S. intermedius strains based on the ratio of activities of MsgA and NanA resulting from lacR mutations