Topology optimization of damping material for reducing resonance response based on complex dynamic compliance

In this research, we propose a new objective function for optimizing damping materials to reduce the resonance peak response in the frequency response problem, which cannot be achieved using existing criteria. The dynamic compliance in the frequency response problem is formulated as the scalar product of the conjugate transpose of the amplitude vector and the force vector of the loading nodes. The proposed objective function methodology is implemented using the common solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method for topology optimization. The optimization problem is formulated as maximizing the complex part of the proposed complex dynamic compliance under a volume constraint. 2D and 3D numerical examples of optimizing the distribution of the damping material on the host structure are provided to illustrate the validity and utility of the proposed methodology. In these numerical studies, the proposed objective function worked well for reducing the response peak in both lower and upper excitation frequencies around the resonance. By adjusting the excitation frequency, multi-resonance peak reduction may be achieved with a single frequency excitation optimization.This research was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 25820422 and 25630436

Pemafibrate Dramatically Ameliorated the Values of Liver Function Tests and Fibrosis Marker in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

[Background] Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease related to metabolic syndrome, which can progress to liver cirrhosis. Standard medication has not been established. Pemafibrate is a selective peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor (PPAR) α modulator. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of pemafibrate in patients with NAFLD. [Methods] We retrospectively enrolled 17 patients (ten men, seven women; median age, 63 years; range, 27?81 years). They were all proven to have fatty liver through imaging and had little or no history of drinking (ethanol consumption of < 20 g/day for women and < 30 g/day for men). They were administered pemafibrate from October 2018 to June 2020. [Results] After administration, serum triglyceride (TG) tended to be decreased (300.5 ± 22.5 to 239.5 ± 34.3 mg/dL, P = 0.06). Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels did not change. ALT was significantly decreased (-47.4%) for six months (57.5 ± 8.8 to 30.3 ± 5.8 U/L, P < 0.01). The values of serum GGT significantly decreased (-48.7%) for sixth months (63.9 ± 10.3 to 32.8 ± 6.6 U/L, P < 0.01). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio (APRI), a fibrosis marker, also was significantly decreased in the sixth month (0.7 ± 0.1 to 0.4 ± 0.1, P < 0.05). Body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) showed no significant change. [Conclusion] Pemafibrate dramatically ameliorated the values of liver function tests and APRI in patients with NAFLD

Normal meal tolerance test is preferable to the glucagon stimulation test in patients with type 2 diabetes that are not in a hyperglycemic state: Comparison with the change of C-peptide immunoreactivity

Aims/Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the properties of the glucagon stimulation test (GST) and the normal meal tolerance test (NMTT) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 142 patients with type 2 diabetes, and carried out a GST and a NMTT. We carried out the NMTT using a calorie-controlled meal based on an intake of 30 kcal/kg ideal bodyweight/day. We calculated the change in C-peptide immunoreactivity (ΔCPR) by subtracting fasting CPR from the CPR 6 min after the 1-mg glucagon injection (GST) or 120 min after the meal (NMTT). Results: Mean ΔCPR for the GST was 2.0 ng/mL, and for the NMTT was 3.1 ng/mL. A total of 104 patients had greater ΔCPR in the NMTT than the GST, and the mean ΔCPR was significantly greater in the NMTT than the GST (P < 0.05). To exclude any influence of antidiabetic drugs, we examined 42 individuals not taking antidiabetic agents, and found the mean ΔCPR was significantly greater in the NMTT than the GST (GST 2.4 ng/mL, NMTT 4.3 ng/mL; P < 0.05). To consider the influence of glucose toxicity, we carried out receiver operating characteristic analyses with fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin. The optimal cut-off levels predicting GST ΔCPR to be larger than NMTT ΔCPR were fasting plasma glucose 147 mg/dL and glycated hemoglobin 9.0% (fasting plasma glucose: sensitivity 0.64, specificity 0.76, area under the curve 0.73; glycated hemoglobin: sensitivity 0.56, specificity 0.71, area under the curve 0.66). Conclusions: The NMTT is a reliable insulin secretion test in patients with type 2 diabetes, except for those in a hyperglycemic state

Screening Criteria of Diabetes Mellitus and Impaired Glucose Tolerance of the Japanese Population in a Rural Area of Japan: The Tottori-Kofu Study

We performed the Tottori-Kofu Study to develop an early detection method of the Japanese with diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), using simple predictors such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and other risk information obtainable from basic medical check-ups. In 2005, 734 residents of Kofu Town received a basic medical check-up including blood examination. Some of them meeting the following criteria further underwent the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): 5.5 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) ? FPG < 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL); or FPG < 5.5 mmol/L, HbA1c ? 5.5%, BMI ? 25 kg/m2, triglyceride ? 1.69 mmol/L (150 mg/dL), hypertension treatment and family history of DM. Among the 734, only 4 persons with FPG ? 7.0 mmol/L were newly diagnosed as having DM, and 17 persons with FPG ? 6.1 mmol/L (110 mg/dL) were diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose. Among 220 persons who received the OGTT, 115 had normal glucose tolerance, 85 had IGT and 20 had DM. When the above-mentioned criteria were added to FPG levels, additional 67 persons with abnormal glucose tolerance were found. The optimal level to detect IGT and DM was 5.2 mmol/L (93 mg/dL) for FPG and 5.3% for HbA1c. Of persons only with the single risk factor of hypertension treatment, 39.3% had IGT. In conclusion, the results indicate that FPG of 5.2 mmol/L (93 mg/dL), HbA1c of 5.3% and hypertension treatment are useful in detecting early stages of IGT and DM

Screening Criteria of Diabetes Mellitus and Impaired Glucose Tolerance of the Japanese Population in a Rural Area of Japan: The Tottori-Kofu Study

We performed the Tottori-Kofu Study to develop an early detection method of the Japanese with diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), using simple predictors such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and other risk information obtainable from basic medical check-ups. In 2005, 734 residents of Kofu Town received a basic medical check-up including blood examination. Some of them meeting the following criteria further underwent the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): 5.5 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) ? FPG < 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL); or FPG < 5.5 mmol/L, HbA1c ? 5.5%, BMI ? 25 kg/m2, triglyceride ? 1.69 mmol/L (150 mg/dL), hypertension treatment and family history of DM. Among the 734, only 4 persons with FPG ? 7.0 mmol/L were newly diagnosed as having DM, and 17 persons with FPG ? 6.1 mmol/L (110 mg/dL) were diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose. Among 220 persons who received the OGTT, 115 had normal glucose tolerance, 85 had IGT and 20 had DM. When the above-mentioned criteria were added to FPG levels, additional 67 persons with abnormal glucose tolerance were found. The optimal level to detect IGT and DM was 5.2 mmol/L (93 mg/dL) for FPG and 5.3% for HbA1c. Of persons only with the single risk factor of hypertension treatment, 39.3% had IGT. In conclusion, the results indicate that FPG of 5.2 mmol/L (93 mg/dL), HbA1c of 5.3% and hypertension treatment are useful in detecting early stages of IGT and DM

Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004

We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90% confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was correcte

Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses

We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases. The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint. We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an interferometric gravitational wave detector

FRET-mediated near infrared whispering gallery modes: studies on the relevance of intracavity energy transfer with Q-factor

Near infrared (NIR) optical microsphere resonators are prepared by coassembly of energy-donating and accepting conjugated polymers. In the microspheres, fluorescence resonance energy transfer occurs, leading to sharp and periodic photoluminescence from whispering gallery modes in the NIR region with Q-factors as high as 600