Strip walk simulation for continuous processing lines

Although the prevention of lateral instability on continuous processing lines called "strip walk" is important in achieving high productivity and improving quality for steel industry, empirical systems have been applied to specific problems for many years. To meet various requirements, a general-purpose numerical simulation model based on spring-mass system was developed, which can predict the unsteady-state walking behavior of strip on a multiple-pass continuous processing line

Characteristics of Clinical and Imaging Findings of Epidermoid Cysts under the Skin of the Mental Region

Epidermoid cyst often arises in the fl oor of oral cavity; however, it is relatively rare to arise subcutaneously in the mental region. We reported characteristics of clinical and imaging fi ndings of epidermoid cysts under the skin of the mental region. The patient was a 53-year-old male. He complained of a subcutaneous mass without pain in the left mental region. A palpable soft and movable thumb-sized mass without pain was observed at the fi rst examination. Ultrasound examination revealed a well-demarcated mass with heterogenous hyper-echoic internal echo and posterior echo enhancement. On power Doppler sonography, a small amount of blood supply was found around the periphery of the mass. Plain CT scan revealeda globular soft-tissue mass with peripheral high and central low CT values area. The mass was removed under local anesthesia using intraoral approach. A histopathologic diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. Recurrence is not observed 2 years after surgery. There were only 3 reports of epidermoid cysts in the mental region, including our case in Japan, clinically characteristics of age ranging 20 to 66 years of age and the mean age of 46 years, with 2 males and 1 female. The size wasfrom 20 mm to 12 mm in diameter and from the tip of a thumb up to the tip of a small fi nger. Ultrasound images of the inside of epidermoid cysts that we experienced this time showed enhancement of relatively uniform hyperechoic image and posterior echo, which was characteristically slightly diff erent from fi ndings of epidermoid cysts generally reported

Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasound using time–intensity curve analysis predicts pathological grade of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm

PURPOSE: Histological grading is important for the treatment algorithm in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNEN). The present study examined the efficacy of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS) and time-intensity curve (TIC) analysis of PNEN diagnosis and grading. METHODS: TIC analysis was performed in 30 patients using data obtained from CH-EUS, and a histopathological diagnosis was made via EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration or surgical resection. The TIC parameters were analyzed by dividing them into G1/G2 and G3/NEC groups. Then, patients were classified into non-aggressive and aggressive groups and evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were classified as G1/G2, and four as G3/NEC. From the TIC analysis, five parameters were obtained (I: echo intensity change, II: time for peak enhancement, III: speed of contrast, IV: decrease rate for enhancement, and V: enhancement ratio for node/pancreatic parenchyma). Three of these parameters (I, IV, and V) showed high diagnostic performance. Using the cutoff value obtained from the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the correct diagnostic rates of parameters I, IV, and V were 96.7%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, between G1/G2 and G3/NEC. A total of 21 patients were classified into the non-aggressive group, and nine into the aggressive group. Using the cutoff value obtained from the ROC analysis, the accurate diagnostic rates of I, IV, and V were 86.7%, 86.7%, and 88.5%, respectively, between the non-aggressive and aggressive groups. CONCLUSION: CH-EUS and TIC analysis showed high diagnostic accuracy for grade diagnosis of PNEN. Quantitative perfusion analysis is useful to predict PNEN grade diagnosis preoperatively

Ultrathin GeSn p-channel MOSFETs grown directly on Si(111) substrate using solid phase epitaxy

Ultrathin GeSn layers with a thickness of 5.5 nm are fabricated on a Si(111) substrate by solid phase epitaxy (SPE) of amorphous GeSn layers with Sn concentrations up to 6.7%. We demonstrate well-behaved depletion-mode operation of GeSn p-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (pMOSFETs) with an on/off ratio of more than 1000 owing to the ultrathin GeSn channel layer (5.5 nm). It is found that the on current increases significantly with increasing Sn concentration at the same gate overdrive, attributed to an increasing substitutional Sn incorporation in Ge. The GeSn (6.7%) layer sample shows approximately 90% enhancement in hole mobility in comparison with a pure Ge channel on Si.status: publishe

Strongly Blueshifted Phenomena Observed with {\it Hinode}/EIS in the 2006 December 13 Solar Flare

We present a detailed examination of strongly blueshifted emission lines observed with the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on board the {\it Hinode} satellite. We found two kinds of blueshifted phenomenon associated with the X3.4 flare that occurred on 2006 December 13. One was related to a plasmoid ejection seen in soft X-rays. It was very bright in all the lines used for the observations. The other was associated with the faint arc-shaped ejection seen in soft X-rays. The soft X-ray ejection is thought to be an MHD fast-mode shock wave. This is therefore the first spectroscopic observation of an MHD fast-mode shock wave associated with a flare.Comment: 18 pages, 1 table, 6 figures. ApJ, accepte

ラット無毛部皮膚より単離したメルケル細胞の大コンダクタンスCa²⁺依存性K⁺電流

This study investigated the Ca2+-activated K+ currents (KCa) of Merkel cells, which were freshly dissociated from rat glabrous skin, using whole-cell and excised patch configurations of the patch clamp technique. With the whole-cell voltage clamp, the application of slow (50 mV/s) voltage ramps from -100 to +100 mV produced an N-shaped current-voltage (I-V) relationship. Maximum current activation occurred at +38.0 ± 10.6 mV (N = 14). Replacement of extracellular Ca2+ by Mg2+ and the addition of 2 mM EGTA abolished the N-shaped I-V relationship, and 1 mM TEA reduced it to < 40%. Using inside-out patches with symmetrical 150 mM KCl solutions, channels were observed with a slope conductance of 280 pS and a reversal potential of 0 mV. Reducing the [K+]o to 5 mM shifted the reversal potential, which was expected for a K+ selective channel. The channel open-state probability (Po) was increased by increasing cytosolic [Ca2+]i. Po also increased with depolarization. These data indicate the presence of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BKCa) channels in Merkel cells

AIRE Functions As an E3 Ubiquitin Ligase

Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene mutation is responsible for the development of autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy, an organ-specific autoimmune disease with monogenic autosomal recessive inheritance. AIRE is predominantly expressed in medullary epithelial cells of the thymus and is considered to play important roles in the establishment of self-tolerance. AIRE contains two plant homeodomain (PHD) domains, and the novel role of PHD as an E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase has just emerged. Here we show that the first PHD (PHD1) of AIRE mediates E3 ligase activity. The significance of this finding was underscored by the fact that disease-causing missense mutations in the PHD1 (C311Y and P326Q) abolished its E3 ligase activity. These results add a novel enzymatic function for AIRE and suggest an indispensable role of the Ub proteasome pathway in the establishment of self-tolerance, in which AIRE is involved

Assessing white matter microstructural changes in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus using voxel-based R2* relaxometry analysis

BackgroundR2* relaxometry and quantitative susceptibility mapping can be combined to distinguish between microstructural changes and iron deposition in white matter. Here, we aimed to explore microstructural changes in the white matter associated with clinical presentations such as cognitive impairment in patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) using R2* relaxometry analysis in combination with quantitative susceptibility mapping.MethodsWe evaluated 16 patients clinically diagnosed with possible or probable iNPH and 18 matched healthy controls (HC) who were chosen based on similarity in age and sex. R2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping were compared using voxel-wise and atlas-based one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Finally, partial correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between R2* and clinical presentations.ResultsR2* was lower in some white matter regions, including the bilateral superior longitudinal fascicle and sagittal stratum, in the iNPH group compared to the HC group. The voxel-based quantitative susceptibility mapping results did not differ between the groups. The atlas-based group comparisons yielded negative mean susceptibility values in almost all brain regions, indicating no clear paramagnetic iron deposition in the white matter of any subject. R2* and cognitive performance scores between the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and right sagittal stratum (SS) were positively correlated. In addition to that, R2* and gait disturbance scores between left SS were negatively correlated.ConclusionOur analysis highlights the microstructural changes without iron deposition in the SLF and SS, and their association with cognitive impairment and gait disturbance in patients with iNPH