110 research outputs found
Numerical prediction of mechanical properties of dual-phase steel by using multi-phase-field method and homogenization method
In this study, a numerical prediction method by combining the crystal plasticity finite element method, the multi-phase-field method and the homogenization method is developed to predict microstructure formation and mechanical property of the dual-phase (DP) steel efficiently. With the developed method, the austenite – to – ferrite transformation from the deformed austenite phase is simulated and the mechanical properties of the DP steel which includes the predicted microstructure are investigated
Optically stimulated luminescence of meteorite
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements were performed on several meteorites and terrestrial plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine to test the possibility of OSL characterization of meteorites. Intense OSL has been observed for the first time in Ca-Al rich inclusions (CAIs) of the Allende meteorite. The equivalent dose of 150 Gy was obtained from the growth of OSL intensity by artificial γ-irradiation
A catalogue of name-bearing type specimens of fossil Bivalvia (Mollusca) registered in the Tohoku University Museum
Mizoribine, tacrolimus, and corticosteroid combination therapy successfully induces remission in patients with lupus nephritis
Conventional cyclophosphamide-based treatment regimens for lupus nephritis (LN) are still not considered to be optimal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mizoribine, tacrolimus, and corticosteroid combination therapy for LN.
We retrospectively evaluated a combination treatment of mizoribine and tacrolimus with corticosteroids as induction therapy in eight newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with biopsy-proven LN.
All patients were women, and their mean [standard deviation (SD)] age was 48.5 (20) years. All patients (100 %) had positive anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody titers, and four (50.0 %) were nephrotic. Mean (SD) serum creatinine and daily proteinuria levels were 0.72 (0.4) mg/dl (range 0.33-1.55 mg/dl) and 4.56 (2.8) g (range 0.77-8.2 g), respectively. By month 2, significant improvements in the anti-dsDNA antibody titers, levels of proteinuria, serum albumin, and C3, and SLE disease activity index score were observed. By month 6, seven patients (87.5 %) were in complete remission, with normalized levels of both proteinuria and serum creatinine.
This pilot study suggests that mizoribine and tacrolimus treatment with corticosteroids is well tolerated and may prove to be an optimal alternative remission-inducing regimen for LN
Detailed electronic structure studies on superconducting MgB and related compounds
In order to understand the unexpected superconducting behavior of MgB
compound we have made electronic structure calculations for MgB and closely
related systems. Our calculated Debye temperature from the elastic properties
indicate that the average phonon frequency is very large in MgB compared
with other superconducting intermetallics and the exceptionally high in
this material can be explained through BCS mechanism only if phonon softening
occurs or the phonon modes are highly anisotropic. We identified a
doubly-degenerate quasi-two dimensional key-energy band in the vicinity of
along -A direction of BZ which play an important role in
deciding the superconducting behavior of this material. Based on this result,
we have searched for similar kinds of electronic feature in a series of
isoelectronic compounds such as BeB, CaB, SrB, LiBC and
MgBC and found that MgBC is one potential material from the
superconductivity point of view. There are contradictory experimental results
regarding the anisotropy in the elastic properties of MgB ranging from
isotropic, moderately anisotropic to highly anisotropic. In order to settle
this issue we have calculated the single crystal elastic constants for MgB
by the accurate full-potential method and derived the directional dependent
linear compressibility, Young's modulus, shear modulus and relevant elastic
properties. We have observed large anisotropy in the elastic properties. Our
calculated polarized optical dielectric tensor shows highly anisotropic
behavior even though it possesses isotropic transport property. MgB
possesses a mixed bonding character and this has been verified from density of
states, charge density and crystal orbital Hamiltonian population analyses
- …