Case Studies on Long-term Settlement of Soft Clay Ground

Two case histories on long-term settlements of Ariake clay which is counted as one of the soft clays in Japan are described. The one of them is to report the settlement which have been observed over 25 years since construction of embankment for breakwater on the coastal Ariake deposit. The another case history is concerned with the settlement of low embankment highway on Ariake clay whose shallow surface was improved by quickline-clay mixture as a countermeasure for the settlement. The current paper is featured by the fact that the predominant secondary settlement is common with two case histories. The finite element method using an elasto-plastic mo1el was adopted to analyze the settlement of the Ariake clay observed in the above-mentioned two case histories under sustained and transient loading, respectively. It is concluded from comparison of analytical results with observed settlement that the proposed model with consideration of secondary compression is advantageous for long-term settlement prediction of soft clay

Attenuated response to liver injury in moesin-deficient mice: Impaired stellate cell migration and decreased fibrosis

AbstractHepatic stellate cells (HSCs) respond to injury with a coordinated set of events (termed activation), which includes migration and upregulation of matrix protein production. Cell migration requires an intact actin cytoskeleton that is linked to the plasma membrane by ezrin–radixin–moesin (ERM) proteins. We have previously found that the linker protein in HSCs is exclusively moesin. Here, we describe HSC migration and fibrogenesis in moesin-deficient mice. We developed an acute liver injury model that involved focal thermal denaturation and common bile duct ligation. HSC migration and collagen deposition were assessed by immunohistology and quantitative real-time PCR. Activated HSCs were isolated from wild-type or moesin-deficient mice for direct examination of migration. Activated HSCs from wild-type mice were positive for moesin. Migration of moesin-deficient HSCs was significantly reduced. In a culture assay, 22.1% of normal HSCs migrated across a filter in 36h. In contrast, only 1.3% of activated moesin-deficient HSCs migrated. Collagen deposition around the injury area similarly was reduced in moesin-deficient liver. The linker protein moesin is essential for HSC activation and migration in response to injury. Fibrogenesis is coupled to migration and reduced in moesin-deficient mice. Agents that target moesin may be beneficial for chronic progressive fibrosis

CRYSTAL GROWTH OF RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS IN CLOSED SYSTEM

Remarkable improvements have been made on the crystal growth of rare earth pnictides and chalchogenides by the development of new growth technique and the construction of several new equipments for the crystal growth such as electron beam welding system of tungsten crucible provided with large glove box and vacuum HF furnace. This system has really worked on obtaining excellent quality of single crystals and made easier to explore unknown materials of rare earth compounds. Interesting and attractive physical properties of these compounds were obtained from the crystals produced by this system and contributed to extend a new scope of the heavy Fermion physics

3rd International Symposium Mathematical Progress in Expressive Image Synthesis

“Progress in Expressive Image Synthesis” (MEIS2015), was held in Fukuoka, Japan, September 25–27, 2015. The aim of the symposium was to provide a unique venue where various issues in computer graphics (CG) application fields could be discussed by mathematicians, CG researchers, and practitioners. Through the previous symposiums MEIS2013 and MEIS2014, mathematicians as well as CG researchers have recognized that CG is a specific and practical activity derived from mathematical theories. Issues found in CG broaden the field of mathematics and vice versa, and CG visualizes mathematical theories in an aesthetic manner. In this volume, the editors aim to provoke interdisciplinary research projects through the peer-reviewed papers and poster presentations at the this year’s symposium. This book captures interactions among mathematicians, CG researchers, and practitioners sharing important, state-of-the-art issues in graphics and visual perception. The book is suitable for all CG researchers seeking open problem areas and especially for those entering the field who have not yet selected a research direction

The Experimental Study of the Specific Protein Contained in Human Fetal Serum Globulin

1) When rabbits are immunized by human fetal serum, high titer precipitin reaction on human serum can be obtained by injecting ten times. 2) When rabbits are immunized by human fetal serum with Globulin and Albumin precipitin productions can be obtained easier than that of human fetal serum. As for each antigenity, the remarkable difference can not be seen and the antigenity of fetal serum Albumin is by no means inferior to that of Globulin. 3) In case of fetal serum Albumin as antigen, precipitin quantity is lower than that of Globulin, and appearance of reaction is less. 4) Specific protein contained in fetal serum, exists in serum Globulin, not in Albumin

Effect of Ewald sphere curvature on the GISAXS analysis of capped Germanium nanodot samples in the soft X-ray region

Buried Interface Sciences with X-rays and Neutrons 2010 25–27 July 2010, NagoyaUse of soft X-rays (SX) for assessing three dimensional structures in thin films by grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GI-SAXS) has been discussed with an example of Ge nanodot structures grown on (001) Si substrates and capped with Si. GISAXS patterns obtained by the measurements were compared with model calculations, and several characteristic differences between GISAXS in the SX and that in hard X-rays have been discussed. It was concluded that although the curvature of the Ewald sphere slightly affects the two-dimensional GISAXS profiles, a two dimensional detector can be still used at the photon energy of about 2 keV. On the other hand, such effect may become dominant when the size of the nanostructure becomes smaller and the photon energy decreases

Near-surface relaxation structure of annealed block copolymer film on Si substrates examined by grazing-incidence small-angle scattering utilizing soft X-rays

Two-dimensional grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) measurements of SEBS8 block copolymer films deposited on Si(001) substrates have been performed to demonstrate depth-sensitive GISAXS utilizing soft X-rays of 1.77 keV. Remarkable elongation of the Bragg spots in the qz direction, corresponding to microphase separation, was observed for an angle of incidence close to the critical angle. The elongation was explained in terms of the penetration depth, which limits the effective size in the direction perpendicular to the sample surface. Lattice distortion near the surface was confirmed