Technical Note: Characterization of In-Plane Compressive Properties of Plywood by IITRI and End-Loading Compression Tests

Panel compression tests can be affected by the propensity of the thin cross-section to undergo axial buckling. Tests were conducted to measure Young's modulus, proportional stress limit, and compression strength in two edgewise directions using an end-loading compression method and an alternate method developed by the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI). The IITRI method mitigates the potential for buckling without explicit restraint. Young's moduli obtained by the two methods agreed well. In contrast, the test methods had differences in the measurement of proportional stress limit and compression strength

Effect of Shear Deflection on Bending Properties of Compressed Wood

We investigated the bending properties of compressed Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don). The specimens were compressed in the radial direction under 180°C for 5 h. Compression ratios (the ratio of deformation to the initial thickness) were 33% and 67%. Young's modulus was measured by flexural vibration test and static bending test. As a result, the Young's modulus obtained by loading in the radial (R) and tangential (T) directions approached the value without shear influence as the length-to-depth ratio and the span-to-depth ratio increased. In the same compression ratio, the Young's modulus was closer to the value without shear influence in loading in the T-direction than in the R-direction. This is because the Young's modulus to shear modulus ratio of the tangential section was smaller than that of the radial section. In the static bending test, the Young's modulus at the span-to-depth ratio of 14 used in major standards was not appropriate

Comparisons of Shear Stress/Shear Strain Relations of Wood Obtained By Iosipescu And Torsion Tests

In this paper, we compared the shear stress/shear strain relations of wood obtained by Iosipescu and torsion tests.Quartersawn boards of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.) and shioji (Japanese ash, Fraxinus spaethiana Lingelsh.) provided the specimens. Iosipescu tests were conducted with specimens loaded in the radial direction, and the shear stress/shear strain relations were obtained. Shear stress/shear strain relations were obtained independently of the Iosipescu tests by torsion tests of rectangular bars. The following results were obtained:(1) The shear moduli, shear yield stresses, and shear strengths obtained from both methods showed good agreement with each other, except for the shear strength of ash.(2) As for spruce, the difference between the shear stress/shear strain relations obtained by Iosipescu and torsion tests was significant in the 5% significance level, whereas that for the ash was not significant.(3) Although the Iosipescu test can derive the shear stress/shear strain relation directly, it has the drawback that failure occurs earlier than with the torsion test. In contrast, the torsion test has the drawback that the procedure for obtaining the stress/strain relation is quite complicated. In determining the shear stress/shear strain relation of wood properly, shear stress/shear strain data should be measured more frequently by these methods

Faktor kritičnog intenziteta naprezanja (I. mod) MDF ploča dobiven testom savijanja

The Mode I critical stress intensity factor (KIc) obtained by single-edge-notched bending (SENB) tests of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) was experimentally analyzed. In the SENB test, the critical load for crack propagation (Pc) was determined from the relationship between load/loading-line displacement and load/crack opening displacement (COD). A double cantilever beam (DCB) test was also conducted and the results were compared with those of SENB tests. The value of Mode I critical stress intensity factor was obtained by introducing an additional crack length, when the crack length ranged from 0.5 to 0.7 times the depth of the specimen. This range coincided well with that used to derive the appropriate KIc value in the single-edge-notched tension (SENT) test, which was conducted using the specimens with a similar confi guration cut from the MDF panel used in this study.U radu se eksperimentalno analizira faktor kritičnog intenziteta naprezanja (I. mod) (KIc ) dobiven testom savijanja s jednim rubnim urezom (SENB) za ploče vlaknatice srednje gustoće (MDF ploče). U SENB testu kritično opterećenje za širenje pukotine (Pc ) određeno je iz odnosa opterećenja i linije pomaka te iz odnosa opterećenja i širenja pukotine (COD). Proveden je i dvostruki konzolni test (DCB), a rezultati su uspoređeni s rezultatima SENB testova. Vrijednost faktora kritičnog intenziteta naprezanja (I. mod) dobiven je uvođenjem dodatne duljine pukotine kada je duljina pukotine u rasponu od 0,5 do 0,7 debljine uzorka. Taj se raspon podudario s rasponom koji se koristi za dobivanje odgovarajuće KIC vrijednosti u tenzijskom testu s jednim rubnim urezom (SENT), a proveden je na uzorcima slične konfi guracije izrađenima od MDF ploče koja je upotrijebljena i u ovom istraživanju

Thioredoxin binding protein (TBP)-2/Txnip and α-arrestin proteins in cancer and diabetes mellitus

Thioredoxin binding protein −2/ thioredoxin interacting protein is an α-arrestin protein that has attracted much attention as a multifunctional regulator. Thioredoxin binding protein −2 expression is downregulated in tumor cells and the level of thioredoxin binding protein is correlated with clinical stage of cancer. Mice with mutations or knockout of the thioredoxin binding protein −2 gene are much more susceptible to carcinogenesis than wild-type mice, indicating a role for thioredoxin binding protein −2 in cancer suppression. Studies have also revealed roles for thioredoxin binding protein −2 in metabolic control. Enhancement of thioredoxin binding protein −2 expression causes impairment of insulin sensitivity and glucose-induced insulin secretion, and β-cell apoptosis. These changes are important characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thioredoxin binding protein −2 regulates transcription of metabolic regulating genes. Thioredoxin binding protein −2-like inducible membrane protein/ arrestin domain containing 3 regulates endocytosis of receptors such as the β2-adrenergic receptor. The α-arrestin family possesses PPXY motifs and may function as an adaptor/scaffold for NEDD family ubiquitin ligases. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of α-arrestin proteins would provide a new pharmacological basis for developing approaches against cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Proteomic alteration in gastic adenocarcinomas from Japanese patients

BACKGROUND: Gastric adenocarcinomas comprise one of the common types of cancers in Asian countries including Japan. Comprehensive protein profiling of paired surgical specimens of primary gastric adenocarcinomas and nontumor mucosae derived from Japanese patients was carried out by means of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-EP) and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionic tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) to establish gastric cancer-specific proteins as putative clinical biomarkers and molecular targets for chemotherapy. RESULTS: Relatively common alterations in protein expression were revealed in the tumor tissues. Increases in manganese dismutase and nonhistone chromosomal protein HMG-1 (HMG-1) were observed, while decreases in carbonic anhydrases I and II, glutatione-S-transferase and foveolin precursor (gastrokine-1) (FOV), an 18-kDa stomach-specific protein with putative tumor suppressor activity, were detected. RT-PCR analysis also revealed significant down-regulation of FOV mRNA expression in tumor tissues. CONCLUSION: A possible pathological role for down-regulation of FOV in gastric carcinogenesis was demonstrated. Evaluation of the specific decreases in gene and protein expression of FOV in patients may be utilized as clinical biomarkers for effective diagnosis and assessment of gastric cancer

Effect of lifestyle on 6‐year periodontitis incidence or progression and tooth loss in older adults

AimTo evaluate the longitudinal association of combined healthy lifestyle factors with incidence or progression of periodontitis and tooth loss in older adults.Materials and methodsThis 6‐year study included 374 Japanese 70‐year olds with 7,157 teeth, from a source eligible baseline population of 554 individuals. Four lifestyle factors—cigarette smoking, physical activity, relative weight, and dietary quality—were scored as healthy (1 point) or unhealthy (0 point). Adding the individual scores generated the “healthy lifestyle score” (0–4 points). Multilevel mixed‐effects logistic regression models were applied to evaluate tooth‐specific associations between the baseline healthy lifestyle score and the incidence or progression of periodontitis (increase in clinical attachment loss ≥3 mm) and tooth loss.ResultsAfter 6 years, 19.0% of the teeth exhibited periodontitis incidence or progression and 8.2% were lost. Compared with a healthy lifestyle score of 0–1 (least healthy), the highest score (4 points) was associated with a significantly lower tooth‐specific risk of periodontitis (adjusted odds ratio = 0.32; 95% confidence interval: 0.16–0.62) and tooth loss (adjusted odds ratio = 0.42; 95% confidence interval: 0.23–0.77).ConclusionsSimultaneous adherence to multiple healthy lifestyle factors significantly lowers the risk of incidence or progression of periodontitis and tooth loss in older adults.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145573/1/jcpe12920_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145573/2/jcpe12920.pd

Embedded Ubiquitous Services on Hospital Information Systems.

A Hospital Information Systems (HIS) have turned a hospital into a gigantic computer with huge computational power, huge storage and wired/wireless local area network. On the other hand, a modern medical device, such as echograph, is a computer system with several functional units connected by an internal network named a bus. Therefore, we can embed such a medical device into the HIS by simply replacing the bus with the local area network. This paper designed and developed two embedded systems, a ubiquitous echograph system and a networked digital camera. Evaluations of the developed systems clearly show that the proposed approach, embedding existing clinical systems into HIS, drastically changes productivity in the clinical field. Once a clinical system becomes a pluggable unit for a gigantic computer system, HIS, the combination of multiple embedded systems with application software designed under deep consideration about clinical processes may lead to the emergence of disruptive innovation in the clinical field