Nasogastric tube syndrome induced by an indwelling long intestinal tube

The nasogastric tube(NGT) has become a frequently used device to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms. Nasogastric tube syndrome(NTS) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of an indwelling NGT. NTS is characterized by acute upper airway obstruction due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. We report a case of a 76-year-old man with NTS, induced by an indwelling long intestinal tube. He was admitted to our hospital for treatment of sigmoid colon cancer. He underwent sigmoidectomy to release a bowel obstruction, and had a long intestinal tube inserted to decompress the intestinal tract. He presented acute dyspnea following prolonged intestinal intubation, and bronchoscopy showed bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The NGT was removed immediately, and tracheotomy was performed. The patient was finally discharged in a fully recovered state. NTS be considered in patients complaining of acute upper airway obstruction, not only with a NGT inserted but also with a long intestinal tube.

Flow-rate Characteristics Measurement of Regulators Based on the Pressure Response in an Isothermal Tank

Regulators are important components in pneumatic system, and their flow-rate characteristics are the key parameters for designers. According to the correlatively international standard and national standard of China, which describe the flow-rate characteristics measurement method of pneumatic regulators, the pressure and the flow are measured point by point, and then the flow-rate characteristics curve is plotted point to point. This method has some disadvantages, such as equipment complexity, much air consumption, and low efficiency. To settle the problems presented above, this paper puts forward a new high efficient and energy saving flow-rate characteristics measurement method of regulators, which is based on the pressure response when charging and discharging to an isothermal tank without any flow meters. The measurement principle, the system and the steps are introduced. And the tracking differentiator is used for the data processing of the pressure difference. Two typical kinds of regulators were experimentally investigated, and their flow-rate characteristics curves were obtained with the new and the conventional method, respectively. Comparatively, it＇s proved that this new method is feasible because it is not only able to meet the demand of the measurement precision, but also to save energy and improve efficiency. Compared to the conventional method, the new method takes only about 1/10 amount of time and consumes about only 1/30 amount of air. Hopefully it will be able to serve as an international standard of flow-rate characteristics measurement method of regulators.

Anthropogenic Pedofeature in Andosols in Santome Shinden, One of the Representative Sites of the Satoyama Environment in Japan

Santome Shinden, a representative site of the Satoyama landscape in Japan, has its origins in 1696 when the common land of wild grass on the Musashino plateau was developed into a strip-shaped land division, which consists of residential area, upland field, and secondary forest. We investigated soils with different land use over 300 years;they are under the secondary forest, and in the upland field where fallen leaves compost derived from secondary forest has been applied continuously for about 300 years since the development. The measured exchangeable cation values suggested that the nutrients in the secondary forest were taken out to the field as fallen leaves. On the surface layer of the upland field soil, characteristic granules of dark brown coated peds (DBC peds) were developed strongly. However, on the surface layer of the secondary forest soil, the DBC peds were not found. Electron probe micro analyzer analysis showed that the outside (dark brown part) of the DBC peds, which was observed only in the upland fields was rich in carbon. The dark brown coated pedofeature was suggested to have an anthropogenic effect due to the long-term application of fallen leaves compost. The anthropogenic activities, which were fallen leaves compost application and cultivation for about 300 years, were thought to affect the soil micromorphology. Therefore, the peds newly found in the Santome shinden field were considered to be a soil microstructure that symbolizes anthropogenic activities.

Crossover to Quantized Thermal Conductance in Nanotubes and Nanowires

Using the non-equilibrium Green’s function techniques with interatomic potentials, we study the temperature dependence and the crossover of thermal conductance from the usual behavior proportional to the cross-sectional area at room temperature to the universal quantized behavior at low temperature for carbon nanotubes, silicon nanowires, and diamond nanowires. We find that this crossover of thermal conductance occurs smoothly for the quasi-one-dimensional materials and its universal behavior is well reproduced by the simplified model characterized by two parameters.

Thermal Equilibration in the Cavity Volume of a Farmer Ion Chamber for Routine Dosimetry

A Farmer ion chamber with an air cavity volume is the most widely used dosimeter for accurate dose determinations in radiotherapy. The quantity of ionization in the cavity volume occurred a given radiation dose has to be corrected to the cavity air temperature according to a dosimetry protocol because the mass of air in the cavity volume is subject to atmospheric variations. In the present study, we aim to measure the thermal equilibration time in the cavity volume of a Farmer ion chamber for the routine dosimetry. The Farmer ion chamber’s electrode was replaced by a thin thermocouple and coated by the PMMA for a waterproofing so that the measurement of the temperature in the cavity performed in water. As a result of the measurement, A Farmer ion chamber in thermal equilibrium with waterproofing equilibrates rapidly, followed by an exponential fall-off. In water, equilibration to less than 10% of the initial temperature difference required only a few minutes. Thermal equilibrium time is hardly affected by the room temperature change.

The Predictors of Psychological Status among Primary Breast Cancer Patients in Japan

This study examined the psychological status of Japanese ambulatory patients with primary breast cancer, with a focus on evaluating the impact of the patients’ self-repressive trait and the role of previously identified associated factors, including social support, attributes, and disease-related variables. The subjects included 112 women [mean (SD) age: 58.3 (12.7)] in Japan with postoperative primary breast cancer. The results showed that around 40% of the subjects were in a psychologically vulnerable situation. In addition, the self-repressive trait and support from family were significant predictors of both anxiety [self-repressive trait (β = 0.30, p = 0.000) and family support (β = -0.37, p = 0.001)] and depression [self-repressive trait (β = 0.26, p = 0.002) and family support (β = -0.42, p = 0.000)], whereas attributes and disease-related variables were not. Health care providers need to recognize that self-repressive patients may seem to be well-adjusted when, in fact, they are suffering. Careful assessment of self-repression and psychological status is needed. Family support can contribute to a better psychological status of patients. Nurses need to encourage and provide support for not only the patients but also the family members so that family members can also effectively care for the patients’ needs.

Investigation of Temperature Dependence of Polymer Gels for Use with Scanning Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Polymer gels are three-dimensional dosimetric tools. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the temperature dependence of polymer gels during scanning Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Prepared gels were irradiated with a 6MV X-ray beam at intensities ranging from 0 to 20 Gy in order to investigate their dose-R2 and dose-R1 responses. Irradiated gels were evaluated from 1.5-T magnetic resonance R2 and R1 images for each 5°C change in temperature from 5°C to 41°C, and then the four-field box technique irradiation plan was used to deliver a total dose of 4 Gy using the same beam weight in each direction to the prepared gels. The profile of the dose map generated from the four-field irradiated gel data at 20°C was then compared with the planned data. The dose-R2 response curve was linear up to 20 Gy at 20°C, with a slope of 1.17 Gy-1˙s-1. The slopes of the fitted curves of the dose-R2 decreased as gel temperature increased. The slopes of the dose-R1 curves were more parallel than the slopes of the dose-R2 curves between 5 and 41°C. The difference in the full width of half maximum of the gel profile data obtained using the four-field box technique at 20°C and the planned data were below 5% on average. The dose map from the irradiated gels obtained using the dose-R2 curve was the same as that from the planned data under the same temperature conditions. Measurement of difference between various temperatures is significant with dose accuracy. It is suitable to evaluate the gel dosimeter under the thermal equilibrium condition, MRI room temperature from the point of view of the stability of the irradiated gels.

Fluoro-Compounds in Electrolytes for Energy Storage Devices

1 Results Electrochemical energy storage devices such as lithium-ion batteries[1-2] and double-layer capacitors[3-4] have attracted a great deal of attention because of their potential application to electric hybrid vehicles. They utilize nonaqueous electrolyte solutions comprising from organic solvents and lithium or quaternary ammonium salts with fluorine-containing anions. This is because the relatively large anions with electron-withdrawing atoms enable ionic dissociation in dipolar aprotic solvents...

Development of RuS_(2) for near-infrared photodetector by atomic layer deposition and post-sulfurization

The chalcogenides of platinum-group metals(PGMs)have been known to be present in minerals and the intermediate products of refining.Over recent years,their applications in various fields,including catalysis,have been explored.Given that certain PGM chalcogenides behave as compound semiconductors,they can be used as materials for photodetectors.In this study,RuS_(2),featuring a bandgap suitable for near-infrared photodetectors,was prepared by forming Ru on a SiO_(2)/Si substrate via the atomic layer deposition method using[Ru(TMM)(CO)_(3)]as the precursor.Annealing was conducted at 800℃ for 1 h under H_(2)S flow.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)analysis clearly confirmed that the as-deposited hexagonal close-packed(hcp)Ru transformed to cubic RuS_(2) after post-annealing.The surface morphologies,chemical states,and electrical and optical properties of RuS_(2) were investigated.The influence of the metallic Ru surface morphology prior to sulfurization on the reaction between Ru and H_(2)S was also discussed.To evaluate the potential of using RuS_(2) as a photodetector,a photodetector was fabricated by forming electrodes on RuS_(2) to measure its photocurrent under near-infrared light.Thus,RuS_(2) was proven to exhibit a short response time(59μs)and generate a photocurrent of 84 nA under near-infrared light at 940 nm.

NMR Studies on Diffusion and Molecular Motions of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids doped by Lithium Salts Related to Ionic Conductivity and Computational Interaction Energy

1 Results Room-temperature Ionic liquids (RTILs) are special class of compounds, where a combination of cations and anions produces neutral, stable and viscous liquids with high ionic conductivity. Widely spread applications are proposed to use conductors, electrolytes, clean solvents and others. Especially, RTILs are expected to be safe electrolytes in the ion-lithium batteries. In this study, NMR methods are used to clarify the basic properties of the individual movements of the anions and cations of ...

Miniaturized terahertz-driven electron accelerator

Terahertz-driven(THz-driven)electron acceleration has recently emerged as a promising approach for developing the future compact ultrashort pulsed electron sources.Zhang et al.[1]have developed a segmented terahertz electron accelerator and manipulator(STEAM)and demonstrated the device by employing millimeter-scale drivers in the THz range.

Influence of automated driving on driver’s own localization:a driving simulator study

Purpose–Level 3 automated driving,which has been defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers,may cause driver drowsiness or lack of situation awareness,which can make it difficult for the driver to recognize where he/she is.Therefore,the purpose of this study was to conduct an experimental study with a driving simulator to investigate whether automated driving affects the driver’s own localization compared to manual driving.Design/methodology/approach–Seventeen drivers were divided into the automated operation group and manual operation group.Drivers in each group were instructed to travel along the expressway and proceed to the specified destinations.The automated operation group was forced to select a course after receiving a Request to Intervene(RtI)from an automated driving system.Findings–A driver who used the automated operation system tended to not take over the driving operation correctly when a lane change is immediately required after the RtI.Originality/value–This is a fundamental research that examined how the automated driving operation affects the driver's own localization.The experimental results suggest that it is not enough to simply issue an RtI,and it is necessary to tell the driver what kind of circumstances he/she is in and what they should do next through the HMI.This conclusion can be taken into consideration for engineers who design automatic driving vehicles.

Machine learning of organic solvents reveals an extraordinary axis in Hansen space as indicator of spherical precipitation of polymers

Machine learning is an emerging tool in the field of materials chemistry for uncovering a principle from large datasets.Here,we focus on the spherical precipitation behavior of polymers and computationally extract a hidden trend that is orthogonal to the availability bias in the chemical space.For constructing a dataset,four polymers were precipitated from 416 solvent/nonsolvent combinations,and the morphology of the resulting precipitates were collected.The dataset was subjected to computational investigations consisting of principal component analysis and machine learning based on random forest model and support vector machine.Thereby,we eliminated the effect of the availability bias and found a linear combination of Hansen parameters to be the most suitable variable for predicting precipitation behavior.The predicted appropriate solvents are those with low hydrogen bonding capability,low polarity,and small molecular volume.Furthermore,we found that the capability for spherical precipitation is orthogonal to the availability bias and forms an extraordinary axis in Hansen space,which is the origin of the conventional difficulty in identifying the trend.The extraordinary axis points toward a void region,indicating the potential value of synthesizing novel solvents located therein.

Stability improvement mechanism due to less charge accumulation in ternary polymer solar cells

Ternary polymer solar cells based on a thiazolothiazole-based polymer donor(PTzBT)and a fullerene acceptor(PC61BM)have attracted attention because they show high efficiency and stability by addition of a non-fullerene acceptor(ITIC).However,the performance improvement mechanism is not completely elucidated.Here,we show the stability improvement mechanism due to less charge accumulation in the PTzBT cells with ITIC using operando electron spin resonance from a microscopic viewpoint.We observed two correlations between device performance and number of spins(N_(spin))under solar irradiation.One correlation is the decrease in short-circuit current and the N_(spin) increase in electrons on PC_(61)BM and holes in PTzBT,where the ITIC addition causes the less these N_(spin).The other correlation is the increase in open-circuit voltage and the N_(spin) decrease in holes in ZnO.These findings explain the stability improvement mechanism,showing the correlation between less charge accumulation and higher stability,which is valuable for the development of further efficient and stable polymer solar cells.