Life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the most widely used methods of decision support. However, few studies have examined whether stakeholders prefer midpoint or endpoint approaches. In this regard, the present study...Life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the most widely used methods of decision support. However, few studies have examined whether stakeholders prefer midpoint or endpoint approaches. In this regard, the present study examines the attitudes toward urban solid waste management, environmental issues, and scenario evaluations by using midpoint and endpoint interpretations of LCA results. This study introduces three types of social groups that typically respond to environmental conflicts: the individualist, hierarchist, and egalitarian groups. Although residents are likely to recognize global impacts as the most important issue, their view is likely to change depending on system and avoided emissions. Consistent with the Seoul Metropolitan Area’s new policy designed to increase the incineration ratio, almost half of all respondents preferred the scenario. Noteworthy is that the respondents’ preference for midpoint and endpoint decision-making tools is not consistent with that in previous studies. Most of the respondents indicated that the midpoint approach would be better in evaluating environmental systems.展开更多
Recently, novel anti-androgens and inhibitors of androgen biosynthesis have been developed through the elucidation of mechanisms of castration resistance of prostate cancer. We believe that these new developments will...Recently, novel anti-androgens and inhibitors of androgen biosynthesis have been developed through the elucidation of mechanisms of castration resistance of prostate cancer. We believe that these new developments will improve hormonal therapy. On the other hand, there has been an increase in criticism of hormonal therapy, because hormonal therapy is supposed to induce adverse effects such as cardiovascular disease. In this review, we have introduced the Japanese experience of hormonal therapy, because we believe that there may be ethnic differences between Caucasians and Asian people in the efficacy and adverse effects of hormonal therapy. First, we showed that primary hormonal therapy can achieve long-term control of localized prostate cancer in some cases and that quality of life of patients receiving hormonal therapy is rather better than previously thought. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant hormonal therapy in cases undergoing radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy are very useful for high-risk or locally advanced prostate cancer. Further clinical trials are required to confirm the efficacy of neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy. We showed that the death from cardiovascular dis- eases in Japanese patients receiving hormonal therapy was not higher than that in the general population. However; efforts should be made to decrease the adverse effects of hormonal therapy, because life-style change may increase the susceptibility to adverse effects by hormonal therapy even in Japan. Managements of endocrine and metabolic dysfunction, such as diabetes mellitus, are essential. New hormonal compounds such as selective androgen receptor modulators capable of specifically targeting prostate cancer are expected to be developed.展开更多
ENSO induces coherent climate anomalies over the Indo-western Pacific, but these anomalies outlast SST anomalies of the equatorial Pacific by a season, with major effects on the Asian summer monsoon. This review provi...ENSO induces coherent climate anomalies over the Indo-western Pacific, but these anomalies outlast SST anomalies of the equatorial Pacific by a season, with major effects on the Asian summer monsoon. This review provides historical accounts of major milestones and synthesizes recent advances in the endeavor to understand summer variability over the Indo-Northwest Pacific region. Specifically, a large-scale anomalous anticyclone （AAC） is a recurrent pattern in post-E1 Nifio summers, spanning the tropical Northwest Pacific and North Indian oceans. Regarding the ocean memory that anchors the summer AAC, competing hypotheses emphasize either SST cooling in the easterly trade wind regime of the Northwest Pacific or SST warming in the westerly monsoon regime of the North Indian Ocean. Our synthesis reveals a coupled ocean- atmosphere mode that builds on both mechanisms in a two-stage evolution. In spring, when the northeast trades prevail, the AAC and Northwest Pacific cooling are coupled via wind-evaporation-SST feedback. The Northwest Pacific cooling persists to trigger a summer feedback that arises from the interaction of the AAC and North Indian Ocean warming, enabled by the westerly monsoon wind regime. This Indo-western Pacific ocean capacitor （IPOC） effect explains why E1 Nifio stages its last act over the monsoonal Indo-Northwest Pacific and casts the Indian Ocean warming and AAC in leading roles. The IPOC displays interdecadal modulations by the ENSO variance cycle, significantly correlated with ENSO at the turn of the 20th century and after the 1970s, but not in between. Outstanding issues, including future climate projections, are also discussed.展开更多
An Al−3.6Cu−1Li alloy was subjected to room temperature rolling and cryorolling to investigate their effects on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties.The microstructure and aging characteristics of the ro...An Al−3.6Cu−1Li alloy was subjected to room temperature rolling and cryorolling to investigate their effects on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties.The microstructure and aging characteristics of the room temperature-rolled and the cryorolled alloys with 70%and 90%of thickness reductions were studied by microstructure analysis and mechanical tests.The samples subjected to cryorolling with 90%of thickness reduction have high strength and good toughness.This is mainly due to the inhibition of dynamic recovery and the accumulation of high-density dislocations in cryorolled samples.In addition,the artificial aging reveals that the temperature at which peak hardness is attained is inversely proportional to the deformation amount and directly proportional to the rolling temperature.Moreover,bright field images of cryorolled samples after aging indicate the existence of T1(Al2CuLi)precipitates.This suggests that the high stored strain energy enhances the aging kinetics of the alloy,which further promotes the nucleation of T1 phases.展开更多
The reduction diffusion method was performed for the sludge scrap of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with adding Ca metal to recover the oxidized Nd-Fe-B phase. After washing the resultant powders to remove Ca metal componen...The reduction diffusion method was performed for the sludge scrap of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with adding Ca metal to recover the oxidized Nd-Fe-B phase. After washing the resultant powders to remove Ca metal component, the powders obtained were recycled as an isotropic magnetic powder by the melt spinning method. The magnetic properties of powders as recycled were inferior, especially for the coercivity value, due to the deletion of rare earth metals during the washing process. The adjustment of metal composition, i.e., the addition of Nd metal, at the melt spinning process improved the magnetic properties to be B r=～0.75 T, H cj=～0.93 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～91 kJ·m -3. The magnetic properties of the bonded magnets prepared from the composition-adjusted powders were B r=～0.66 T, H cj=～0.92 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～70 kJ·m -3, which are approximately comparable to the commercially available MQPB boned one (B r=～0.73 T, H cj=～0.79 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～86 kJ·m -3).展开更多
Accumulation of mutations and alterations in the expression of various genes result in carcinogenesis,and the development of microarray technology has enabled us to identify the comprehensive gene expression alteratio...Accumulation of mutations and alterations in the expression of various genes result in carcinogenesis,and the development of microarray technology has enabled us to identify the comprehensive gene expression alterations in oncogenesis.Many studies have applied this technology for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and identified a number of candidate genes useful as biomarkers in cancer staging,prediction of recurrence and prognosis,and treatment selection.Some of these target molecules have been used to develop new serum diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets against HCC to benefit patients.Previously,we compared gene expression profiling data with classification based on clinicopathological features,such as hepatitis viral infection or liver cancer progression.The next era of gene expression analysis will require systematic integration of expression profiles with other types of biological information,such as genomic locus,gene function,and sequence information.We have reported integration between expression profiles and locus information,which is effective in detecting structural genomic abnormalities,such as chromosomal gains and losses,in which we showed that gene expression profiles are subject to chromosomal bias.Furthermore,array-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis and allelic dosage analysis using genotyping arrays for HCC were also reviewed,with comparison of conventional methods.展开更多
Wireless power transfer (WPT) from a transmitter resonator on the ground to an electrically powered miniature heli-copter was attempted to demonstrate WPT using magnetic resonance coupling to an object moving in 3D sp...Wireless power transfer (WPT) from a transmitter resonator on the ground to an electrically powered miniature heli-copter was attempted to demonstrate WPT using magnetic resonance coupling to an object moving in 3D space. The transmission efficiency was optimized by automatic impedance matching for different flight attitudes: a maximum flight altitude of 590 mm was achieved. Furthermore, an estimation method of transmission efficiency using only the properties on the transmitter side was proposed, with transmission power regulated as constant against the change in the coupling coefficient.展开更多
In accordance with the requirements of expanding Machine-To-Machine communication (M2M), the network overlay is in progress in several domains such as Smart Grid. Consequently, it is predictable that opportunities and...In accordance with the requirements of expanding Machine-To-Machine communication (M2M), the network overlay is in progress in several domains such as Smart Grid. Consequently, it is predictable that opportunities and cases of integrating yielded data from devices such as sensors will increase more. Accordingly, the importance of Ontology and Information Models (IM) which normalize the semantics including sensor expressions, have increased, and the standards of these definitions have been more important as well. So far, there have been multiple initiatives for standardizing the Ontology and IM in regards to the sensors expression such as Sensor Standards Harmonization by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), W3C Semantic Sensor Network (SSN) and the recent W3C IoT-Lite Ontology. However, there is still room to improve the current level of the Ontology and IM on the viewpoint of the implementing structure. This paper presents a set of IMs on abstract sensors and contexts in regards to the phenomenon around these sensors from the point of view of a structure implementing these specified sensors. As several previous studies have pointed out, multiple aspects on the sensors should be modeled. Accordingly, multiple sets of Ontology and IM on these sensors should be defined. Our study has intended to clarify the relationship between configurations and physical measured quantities of the structures implementing a set of sensors. Up to present, they have not been generalized and have remained unformulated. Consequently, due to the result of this analysis, it is expected to implement a more generalized translator module easily, which aggregates the measured data from the sensors on the middleware level managing these Ontology and IM, instead of the layer of user application programs.展开更多
There are notable differences in the incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer between Asia and Western countries.It is also recognized that there are differences in thinking with regard to treatment options.R...There are notable differences in the incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer between Asia and Western countries.It is also recognized that there are differences in thinking with regard to treatment options.Recently it is also the case that opinions have been reported concerning the differences between Asian and Western patients with regard to their reaction to androgen depletion therapy(ADT).Given that ADT is a method of treatment that focuses on the elimination of testosterone,an inevitable symptom of its administration is testosterone losing syndrome.It is for this reason that in Western countries ADT has only been recommended in cases of advanced or metastatic cancer.On the other hand,in Asia,ADT is used in relatively many cases,including non-metastatic localized cancer and invasive localized cancer.To date,however,there has been little substantive discussion concerning this difference in utilization of ADT.ADT-related drugs for prostate cancer and the development of new drugs for castration resistant prostate cancer(CRPC)have been actively tested in recent years.It could be the case that analyzing the differences in concepts about ADT between Asia and the West could contribute to the effective use of ADT-related drugs and also help to build new treatment strategies for prostate cancer.展开更多
The modulation-doped Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N/GaN heterostructures with different Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N barrier thicknesses were grown by means of metal--organic chemical vapour deposition.The Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N layer still...The modulation-doped Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N/GaN heterostructures with different Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N barrier thicknesses were grown by means of metal--organic chemical vapour deposition.The Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N layer still has pseudomorphic growth when its thickness is 53nm.The mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)at the heterointerfaces is much higher than that of the electrons in GaN films at both 300 and 77K.The dramatic decrease of the 2DEG mobility in an Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N/GaN heterostructure corresponds to the partial relaxation of the Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N barrier.展开更多
We implemented a generalized infrastructure for Internet of Things (IoT infrastructure) to be applicable in various areas such as Smart Grid. That IoT infrastructure has two methods to store sensor data. They commonly...We implemented a generalized infrastructure for Internet of Things (IoT infrastructure) to be applicable in various areas such as Smart Grid. That IoT infrastructure has two methods to store sensor data. They commonly have the features of double overlay structure, virtualization of sensors, composite services as federation using publisher/subscriber. And they are implemented as synthesizing the elemental architectures. The two methods majorly have the common architectural elements, however there are differences in how to compose and utilize them. But we observed the non-negligible differences in their achieved performance by the actual implementations due to operational items beyond these architectural elements. In this paper, we present the results of our analysis about the factors of the revealed differences based on the measured performance. In particular, it is clarified that a negative side effect due to combining independent elemental micro solutions naively could be amplified, if maximizing the level of loose coupling is applied as the most prioritized design and operational policy. Primarily, these combinations should be evaluated and verified during the basic design phase. However, the variation of how to synthesize them tends to be a blind spot when adopting the multiple independent architectural elements commonly. As a practical suggestion from this case, the emphasized importance in carrying out a new synthetization with multiple architectures is to make a balance naturally among architectural elements, or solutions based on them, and there is a certain demand to establish a methodology for architectural synthetization, including verification.展开更多
Despite the recent advances in the therapeutic modalities,colorectal cancer(CRC)remains to be one of the most common causes of cancer-related death.CRC arises through accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic al...Despite the recent advances in the therapeutic modalities,colorectal cancer(CRC)remains to be one of the most common causes of cancer-related death.CRC arises through accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations that transform normal colonic epithelium into adenocarcinomas.Among crucial roles of epigenetic alterations,gene silencing by aberrant DNA methylation of promoter regions is one of the most important epigenetic mechanisms.Recent comprehensive methylation analyses on genome-wide scale revealed that sporadic CRC can be classified into distinct epigenotypes.Each epigenotype cooperates with specific genetic alterations,suggesting that they represent different molecular carcinogenic pathways.Precursor lesions of CRC,such as conventional and serrated adenomas,already show similar methylation accumulation to CRC,and can therefore be classified into those epigenotypes of CRC.In addition,specific DNA methylation already occurs in the normal colonic mucosa,which might be utilized for prediction of the personal CRC risk.DNA methylation is suggested to occur at an earlier stage than carcinoma formation,and may predict the molecular basis for future development of CRC.Here,we review DNA methylation and CRC classification,and discuss the possible clinical usefulness of DNA methylation as biomarkers for the diagnosis,prediction of the prognosis and the response to therapy of CRC.展开更多
AIM: To determine the gene expression profile data for the whole liver during development of dimethylni-trosamine (DMN)-induced hepatic fibrosis.METHODS: Marker genes were identified for different types of hepatic cel...AIM: To determine the gene expression profile data for the whole liver during development of dimethylni-trosamine (DMN)-induced hepatic fibrosis.METHODS: Marker genes were identified for different types of hepatic cells, including hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), Kupffer cells (including other inflammatory cells), and hepatocytes, using independent temporal DNA microarray data obtained from isolated hepatic cells. RESULTS: The cell-type analysis of gene expression gave several key results and led to formation of three hypotheses: (1) changes in the expression of HSC-specific marker genes during fibrosis were similar to gene expression data in in vitro cultured HSCs, suggesting a major role of the self-activating characteristics of HSCs in formation of fibrosis; (2) expression of mast cell-specific marker genes reached a peak during liver fibrosis, suggesting a possible role of mast cells in formation of fibrosis; and (3) abnormal expression of hepatocyte-specific marker genes was found across several metabolic pathways during fibrosis, including sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and drug metabolism, suggesting a mechanistic relationship between these abnormalities and symptoms of liver fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Analysis of marker genes for specific hepatic cell types can identify the key aspects of fibro-genesis. Sequential activation of inflammatory cells and the self-supporting properties of HSCs play an important role in development of fibrosis.展开更多
This work presents a simulation model for unsignalized crosswalks which takes into account collisions between vehicles and pedestrians,thus allowing to assess the estimated yearly pedestrian fatality.In particular,we ...This work presents a simulation model for unsignalized crosswalks which takes into account collisions between vehicles and pedestrians,thus allowing to assess the estimated yearly pedestrian fatality.In particular,we focus on a method to calibrate such a model combining measurable crosswalk characteristics,such as maximum speed limit or drivers’compliance,with statistical data for past accidents obtained from local municipality.In order to perform simulations under realistic conditions,we constructed a one-week scenario where pedestrian and vehicle traffic vary using specific patterns each hour of the week.The constructed traffic profile is based on openly available data and the suitability for the scenario considered(a crosswalk in Milan,Italy)is investigated showing that cultural/lifestyle elements determine the variation of weekly traffic.Simulations using the constructed one-week scenario were used to obtain the only non-measurable parameter which account for pedestrians’and drivers’distraction.In addition,we also focused on the presence of elderly pedestrians which have different physiological characteristics compared to adults or children and are becoming an important part of the population in several countries around the globe.The simulation model presented here and the method suggested for calibration may be employed in different contexts,thus allowing to build an important tool to be used not only for transportation efficiency/optimization but also for safety analysis.展开更多
文摘Life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the most widely used methods of decision support. However, few studies have examined whether stakeholders prefer midpoint or endpoint approaches. In this regard, the present study examines the attitudes toward urban solid waste management, environmental issues, and scenario evaluations by using midpoint and endpoint interpretations of LCA results. This study introduces three types of social groups that typically respond to environmental conflicts: the individualist, hierarchist, and egalitarian groups. Although residents are likely to recognize global impacts as the most important issue, their view is likely to change depending on system and avoided emissions. Consistent with the Seoul Metropolitan Area’s new policy designed to increase the incineration ratio, almost half of all respondents preferred the scenario. Noteworthy is that the respondents’ preference for midpoint and endpoint decision-making tools is not consistent with that in previous studies. Most of the respondents indicated that the midpoint approach would be better in evaluating environmental systems.
文摘Recently, novel anti-androgens and inhibitors of androgen biosynthesis have been developed through the elucidation of mechanisms of castration resistance of prostate cancer. We believe that these new developments will improve hormonal therapy. On the other hand, there has been an increase in criticism of hormonal therapy, because hormonal therapy is supposed to induce adverse effects such as cardiovascular disease. In this review, we have introduced the Japanese experience of hormonal therapy, because we believe that there may be ethnic differences between Caucasians and Asian people in the efficacy and adverse effects of hormonal therapy. First, we showed that primary hormonal therapy can achieve long-term control of localized prostate cancer in some cases and that quality of life of patients receiving hormonal therapy is rather better than previously thought. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant hormonal therapy in cases undergoing radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy are very useful for high-risk or locally advanced prostate cancer. Further clinical trials are required to confirm the efficacy of neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy. We showed that the death from cardiovascular dis- eases in Japanese patients receiving hormonal therapy was not higher than that in the general population. However; efforts should be made to decrease the adverse effects of hormonal therapy, because life-style change may increase the susceptibility to adverse effects by hormonal therapy even in Japan. Managements of endocrine and metabolic dysfunction, such as diabetes mellitus, are essential. New hormonal compounds such as selective androgen receptor modulators capable of specifically targeting prostate cancer are expected to be developed.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2012CB 955600)the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA11010103)+1 种基金the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund 2-1503 of the Japanese Ministry of Environment, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 25287120 and for Young Scientists 15H05466the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41205049, 41275081, 41425019, 41525019, 41521005)
文摘ENSO induces coherent climate anomalies over the Indo-western Pacific, but these anomalies outlast SST anomalies of the equatorial Pacific by a season, with major effects on the Asian summer monsoon. This review provides historical accounts of major milestones and synthesizes recent advances in the endeavor to understand summer variability over the Indo-Northwest Pacific region. Specifically, a large-scale anomalous anticyclone （AAC） is a recurrent pattern in post-E1 Nifio summers, spanning the tropical Northwest Pacific and North Indian oceans. Regarding the ocean memory that anchors the summer AAC, competing hypotheses emphasize either SST cooling in the easterly trade wind regime of the Northwest Pacific or SST warming in the westerly monsoon regime of the North Indian Ocean. Our synthesis reveals a coupled ocean- atmosphere mode that builds on both mechanisms in a two-stage evolution. In spring, when the northeast trades prevail, the AAC and Northwest Pacific cooling are coupled via wind-evaporation-SST feedback. The Northwest Pacific cooling persists to trigger a summer feedback that arises from the interaction of the AAC and North Indian Ocean warming, enabled by the westerly monsoon wind regime. This Indo-western Pacific ocean capacitor （IPOC） effect explains why E1 Nifio stages its last act over the monsoonal Indo-Northwest Pacific and casts the Indian Ocean warming and AAC in leading roles. The IPOC displays interdecadal modulations by the ENSO variance cycle, significantly correlated with ENSO at the turn of the 20th century and after the 1970s, but not in between. Outstanding issues, including future climate projections, are also discussed.
基金Project(2019YFB2006500)supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of ChinaProject(51674303)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China+2 种基金Project(2018RS3015)supported by the Huxiang High-Level Talent Gathering Project of Hunan Province,ChinaProject(2019CX006)supported by the Innovation Driven Program of Central South University,ChinaProject supported by the Research Fund of the Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing at Central South University,China。
文摘An Al−3.6Cu−1Li alloy was subjected to room temperature rolling and cryorolling to investigate their effects on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties.The microstructure and aging characteristics of the room temperature-rolled and the cryorolled alloys with 70%and 90%of thickness reductions were studied by microstructure analysis and mechanical tests.The samples subjected to cryorolling with 90%of thickness reduction have high strength and good toughness.This is mainly due to the inhibition of dynamic recovery and the accumulation of high-density dislocations in cryorolled samples.In addition,the artificial aging reveals that the temperature at which peak hardness is attained is inversely proportional to the deformation amount and directly proportional to the rolling temperature.Moreover,bright field images of cryorolled samples after aging indicate the existence of T1(Al2CuLi)precipitates.This suggests that the high stored strain energy enhances the aging kinetics of the alloy,which further promotes the nucleation of T1 phases.
基金ProjectsupportedbyaGrant in AidfortheCreationofinnovationsthroughBusiness Academic PublicSectorCooperation
文摘The reduction diffusion method was performed for the sludge scrap of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with adding Ca metal to recover the oxidized Nd-Fe-B phase. After washing the resultant powders to remove Ca metal component, the powders obtained were recycled as an isotropic magnetic powder by the melt spinning method. The magnetic properties of powders as recycled were inferior, especially for the coercivity value, due to the deletion of rare earth metals during the washing process. The adjustment of metal composition, i.e., the addition of Nd metal, at the melt spinning process improved the magnetic properties to be B r=～0.75 T, H cj=～0.93 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～91 kJ·m -3. The magnetic properties of the bonded magnets prepared from the composition-adjusted powders were B r=～0.66 T, H cj=～0.92 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～70 kJ·m -3, which are approximately comparable to the commercially available MQPB boned one (B r=～0.73 T, H cj=～0.79 mA·m -1, and (BH) max=～86 kJ·m -3).
文摘Accumulation of mutations and alterations in the expression of various genes result in carcinogenesis,and the development of microarray technology has enabled us to identify the comprehensive gene expression alterations in oncogenesis.Many studies have applied this technology for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and identified a number of candidate genes useful as biomarkers in cancer staging,prediction of recurrence and prognosis,and treatment selection.Some of these target molecules have been used to develop new serum diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets against HCC to benefit patients.Previously,we compared gene expression profiling data with classification based on clinicopathological features,such as hepatitis viral infection or liver cancer progression.The next era of gene expression analysis will require systematic integration of expression profiles with other types of biological information,such as genomic locus,gene function,and sequence information.We have reported integration between expression profiles and locus information,which is effective in detecting structural genomic abnormalities,such as chromosomal gains and losses,in which we showed that gene expression profiles are subject to chromosomal bias.Furthermore,array-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis and allelic dosage analysis using genotyping arrays for HCC were also reviewed,with comparison of conventional methods.
文摘Wireless power transfer (WPT) from a transmitter resonator on the ground to an electrically powered miniature heli-copter was attempted to demonstrate WPT using magnetic resonance coupling to an object moving in 3D space. The transmission efficiency was optimized by automatic impedance matching for different flight attitudes: a maximum flight altitude of 590 mm was achieved. Furthermore, an estimation method of transmission efficiency using only the properties on the transmitter side was proposed, with transmission power regulated as constant against the change in the coupling coefficient.
文摘In accordance with the requirements of expanding Machine-To-Machine communication (M2M), the network overlay is in progress in several domains such as Smart Grid. Consequently, it is predictable that opportunities and cases of integrating yielded data from devices such as sensors will increase more. Accordingly, the importance of Ontology and Information Models (IM) which normalize the semantics including sensor expressions, have increased, and the standards of these definitions have been more important as well. So far, there have been multiple initiatives for standardizing the Ontology and IM in regards to the sensors expression such as Sensor Standards Harmonization by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), W3C Semantic Sensor Network (SSN) and the recent W3C IoT-Lite Ontology. However, there is still room to improve the current level of the Ontology and IM on the viewpoint of the implementing structure. This paper presents a set of IMs on abstract sensors and contexts in regards to the phenomenon around these sensors from the point of view of a structure implementing these specified sensors. As several previous studies have pointed out, multiple aspects on the sensors should be modeled. Accordingly, multiple sets of Ontology and IM on these sensors should be defined. Our study has intended to clarify the relationship between configurations and physical measured quantities of the structures implementing a set of sensors. Up to present, they have not been generalized and have remained unformulated. Consequently, due to the result of this analysis, it is expected to implement a more generalized translator module easily, which aggregates the measured data from the sensors on the middleware level managing these Ontology and IM, instead of the layer of user application programs.
文摘There are notable differences in the incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer between Asia and Western countries.It is also recognized that there are differences in thinking with regard to treatment options.Recently it is also the case that opinions have been reported concerning the differences between Asian and Western patients with regard to their reaction to androgen depletion therapy(ADT).Given that ADT is a method of treatment that focuses on the elimination of testosterone,an inevitable symptom of its administration is testosterone losing syndrome.It is for this reason that in Western countries ADT has only been recommended in cases of advanced or metastatic cancer.On the other hand,in Asia,ADT is used in relatively many cases,including non-metastatic localized cancer and invasive localized cancer.To date,however,there has been little substantive discussion concerning this difference in utilization of ADT.ADT-related drugs for prostate cancer and the development of new drugs for castration resistant prostate cancer(CRPC)have been actively tested in recent years.It could be the case that analyzing the differences in concepts about ADT between Asia and the West could contribute to the effective use of ADT-related drugs and also help to build new treatment strategies for prostate cancer.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.69806006,69636010,69976017 and 69987001the National High Technology Research&Development Project of China(No.863-715-011-0030)+1 种基金the Research for the Future Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(Project No.JSPS-RFTF96P00201)the Foundation for the Promotion of Industrial Science in Japan.
文摘The modulation-doped Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N/GaN heterostructures with different Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N barrier thicknesses were grown by means of metal--organic chemical vapour deposition.The Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N layer still has pseudomorphic growth when its thickness is 53nm.The mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)at the heterointerfaces is much higher than that of the electrons in GaN films at both 300 and 77K.The dramatic decrease of the 2DEG mobility in an Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N/GaN heterostructure corresponds to the partial relaxation of the Al_(0.22)Ga_(0.78)N barrier.
文摘We implemented a generalized infrastructure for Internet of Things (IoT infrastructure) to be applicable in various areas such as Smart Grid. That IoT infrastructure has two methods to store sensor data. They commonly have the features of double overlay structure, virtualization of sensors, composite services as federation using publisher/subscriber. And they are implemented as synthesizing the elemental architectures. The two methods majorly have the common architectural elements, however there are differences in how to compose and utilize them. But we observed the non-negligible differences in their achieved performance by the actual implementations due to operational items beyond these architectural elements. In this paper, we present the results of our analysis about the factors of the revealed differences based on the measured performance. In particular, it is clarified that a negative side effect due to combining independent elemental micro solutions naively could be amplified, if maximizing the level of loose coupling is applied as the most prioritized design and operational policy. Primarily, these combinations should be evaluated and verified during the basic design phase. However, the variation of how to synthesize them tends to be a blind spot when adopting the multiple independent architectural elements commonly. As a practical suggestion from this case, the emphasized importance in carrying out a new synthetization with multiple architectures is to make a balance naturally among architectural elements, or solutions based on them, and there is a certain demand to establish a methodology for architectural synthetization, including verification.
文摘Despite the recent advances in the therapeutic modalities,colorectal cancer(CRC)remains to be one of the most common causes of cancer-related death.CRC arises through accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations that transform normal colonic epithelium into adenocarcinomas.Among crucial roles of epigenetic alterations,gene silencing by aberrant DNA methylation of promoter regions is one of the most important epigenetic mechanisms.Recent comprehensive methylation analyses on genome-wide scale revealed that sporadic CRC can be classified into distinct epigenotypes.Each epigenotype cooperates with specific genetic alterations,suggesting that they represent different molecular carcinogenic pathways.Precursor lesions of CRC,such as conventional and serrated adenomas,already show similar methylation accumulation to CRC,and can therefore be classified into those epigenotypes of CRC.In addition,specific DNA methylation already occurs in the normal colonic mucosa,which might be utilized for prediction of the personal CRC risk.DNA methylation is suggested to occur at an earlier stage than carcinoma formation,and may predict the molecular basis for future development of CRC.Here,we review DNA methylation and CRC classification,and discuss the possible clinical usefulness of DNA methylation as biomarkers for the diagnosis,prediction of the prognosis and the response to therapy of CRC.
文摘AIM: To determine the gene expression profile data for the whole liver during development of dimethylni-trosamine (DMN)-induced hepatic fibrosis.METHODS: Marker genes were identified for different types of hepatic cells, including hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), Kupffer cells (including other inflammatory cells), and hepatocytes, using independent temporal DNA microarray data obtained from isolated hepatic cells. RESULTS: The cell-type analysis of gene expression gave several key results and led to formation of three hypotheses: (1) changes in the expression of HSC-specific marker genes during fibrosis were similar to gene expression data in in vitro cultured HSCs, suggesting a major role of the self-activating characteristics of HSCs in formation of fibrosis; (2) expression of mast cell-specific marker genes reached a peak during liver fibrosis, suggesting a possible role of mast cells in formation of fibrosis; and (3) abnormal expression of hepatocyte-specific marker genes was found across several metabolic pathways during fibrosis, including sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and drug metabolism, suggesting a mechanistic relationship between these abnormalities and symptoms of liver fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Analysis of marker genes for specific hepatic cell types can identify the key aspects of fibro-genesis. Sequential activation of inflammatory cells and the self-supporting properties of HSCs play an important role in development of fibrosis.
基金financially supported by the JST-Mirai Program Grant Number JPMJMI17D4.
文摘This work presents a simulation model for unsignalized crosswalks which takes into account collisions between vehicles and pedestrians,thus allowing to assess the estimated yearly pedestrian fatality.In particular,we focus on a method to calibrate such a model combining measurable crosswalk characteristics,such as maximum speed limit or drivers’compliance,with statistical data for past accidents obtained from local municipality.In order to perform simulations under realistic conditions,we constructed a one-week scenario where pedestrian and vehicle traffic vary using specific patterns each hour of the week.The constructed traffic profile is based on openly available data and the suitability for the scenario considered(a crosswalk in Milan,Italy)is investigated showing that cultural/lifestyle elements determine the variation of weekly traffic.Simulations using the constructed one-week scenario were used to obtain the only non-measurable parameter which account for pedestrians’and drivers’distraction.In addition,we also focused on the presence of elderly pedestrians which have different physiological characteristics compared to adults or children and are becoming an important part of the population in several countries around the globe.The simulation model presented here and the method suggested for calibration may be employed in different contexts,thus allowing to build an important tool to be used not only for transportation efficiency/optimization but also for safety analysis.
