Organization and expression of basement membrane collagen IV genes and their roles in human disorders

PURPOSE: The prevalence of reflux in the deep and superficial venous systems in the Edinburgh population and the relationship between patterns of reflux and the presence of venous disease on clinical examination were studied. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was done on men and women ranging in age from 18 to 64 years, randomly selected from 12 general practices. The presence of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency was noted on clinical examination, as was the duration of venous reflux by means of duplex scanning in 8 vein segments on each leg. Results were compared using cut-off points for reflux duration (RD) of 0.5 seconds or more (RD >/= 0.5) and more than 1.0 second (RD > 1.0) to define reflux. RESULTS: There were 1566 study participants, 867 women and 699 men. The prevalence of reflux was similar in the right and left legs. The proportion of participants with reflux was highest in the lower thigh long saphenous vein (LSV) segment (18.6% in the right leg and 17.5% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5), followed by the above knee popliteal segments (12.3% in the right leg and 11.0% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5), the below knee popliteal (11.3% in the right leg and 9.5% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5), upper LSV (10.0% in the right leg and 10.8% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5) segments, the common femoral vein segments (7.8% in the right leg and 8.0% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5), the lower superficial femoral vein (SFV) segments (6.6% in the right leg and 6.4% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5), and the upper SFV (5.2% in the right leg and 4.7% in the left leg for RD >/= 0.5) and short saphenous vein (SSV) (4.6% in the right leg and 5.6% in the left leg for an RD >/= 0.5) segments. In the superficial vein segments, there was little difference in the occurrence of reflux whether RD >/= 0.5 or RD > 1.0 was used; but in the different deep vein segments, the prevalence of reflux was 2 to 4 times greater for RD >/= 0.5 rather than RD > 1.0. Men had a higher prevalence of reflux in the deep vein segments than women, reaching statistical significance (P /= 0.5. In general, the prevalence of reflux increased with age. Those with "venous disease" had a significantly higher prevalence of reflux in all vein segments than those with "no disease" (P 相似文献   

Enhanced amination and adsorption performance of functional copolymer synthesized <Emphasis Type="Italic">via</Emphasis> RAFT-mediated radiation grafting in emulsion

Grafted polymer substrates bearing diglycol amic acid (DA) ligands for Eu and Sm adsorption were prepared using a two-step post-grafting modification of polyethylene/polypropylene-g-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PE/PP-g-PGMA) that was synthesized through reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-mediated γ-radiation induced graft polymerization in emulsion phase. The PE/PP-g-PGMA prepared with RAFT mediation exhibited better reactivity towards amination reaction at 40 °C than the graft copolymers prepared without RAFT mediation, with the epoxide to amino group conversion of the former exceeding the latter by as much as 20%. The DA ligands were incorporated to the aminated graft copolymer by subsequent reaction with diglycolic anhydride to yield the DA-modified PE/PP-g-PGMA adsorbent. The effects of pH and competing ions on the uptake of Eu and Sm have been investigated. The DA-modified PE/PP-g-PGMA prepared with RAFT mediation showed higher Eu and Sm adsorption percentage than the DA adsorbent that was synthesized without RAFT mediation. The DA-modified PE/PP-g-PGMA exhibited higher affinity for Eu over Cu and Fe in acidic solutions.     

RAFT‐mediated graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate in emulsion from polyethylene/polypropylene initiated with γ‐radiation

The successful reversible addition‐fragmentation (RAFT)‐mediated graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in emulsion phase from polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric using 4‐cyano‐4‐[(phenylcarbonothioyl)thio]pentanoic acid under γ‐irradiation at ambient condition is reported. While conventional graft polymerization in emulsion phase yielded grafted materials with low of grafting (Dg) values [<7.5% at 10% (wt/wt) GMA], addition of RAFT agent to the graft polymerization system allowed the synthesis of polyethylene/polypropylene‐g‐poly(GMA) with more tunable Dg (8% ≤ Dg ≤ 94%) by controlling the grafting parameters. Relatively good control (PDI ～1.2 for selected grafting conditions) during polymerization was attained at 100:1 monomer‐to‐RAFT agent molar ratio. The number average molecular weight of free poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) increased as a function of monomer conversion. NMR analyses of the free PGMA homopolymers indicate the presence of dithiobenzoate group from 4‐cyano‐4‐((phenylcarbonothioyl)thio) pentanoic acid on the polymer chain. The reactive pendant oxirane group of the grafted GMA can be modified for various environmental and industrial applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45270.     

Decision Tool for Microtunneling Method Selection

Microtunneling is a type of trenchless technology for underground pipeline construction. Using the technology, surface disruptions can be minimized. Currently, open-cut trenching is often not allowed in urban areas or environmentally sensitive areas; therefore, demand for microtunneling is increasing. However, the decision to use microtunneling can be hard to make, because many decision makers are still not familiar with the technology. In fact, it can be a risky and costly process, when used improperly. In order to achieve a successful microtunneling project, it is important to select an appropriate method, considering its strengths and limitations. A decision procedure and tool that outputs appropriate underground pipeline installation methods for specific site conditions is presented here. It should be useful for decision makers who are relatively new to microtunneling, and can be used as a check by more experienced planners.     

Influence of additives on the dielectric strength of high-densitypolyethylene

In this study, we present the results of the influence of chemical additives (antioxidant and UV stabilizer) and pigments (titanium dioxide and carbon black) on the short-term dielectric breakdown test of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). These additives and pigments are commonly added to polyolefins, which are used as insulating material for medium voltage cables. The incorporation was performed in a single screw extruder and thin films specimens were obtained by hot compression from extruded materials. For the dielectric breakdown test, an automated system has been used. A voltage ramp of 500 V/s was applied to specimens immersed in a silicon oil bath at room temperature. The degree of crystallinity and chemical modification of the formulations were evaluated by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), respectively. The dielectric breakdown results have been analyzed by a Weibull distribution. The shape and scale parameters of this distribution have been obtained by a graphic and maximum likelihood method. These results showed that the carbon black is the component that affects the dielectric strength, that the β shape parameter from the graphic method can be used to evaluate additive mixing conditions, and that the weakest point for formation of the rupture channel is on the carbon black agglomerate     

Microstructural Changes During Plastic Deformation and Corrosion Properties of Biomedical Co-20Cr-15W-10Ni Alloy Heat-Treated at 873 K

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Microstructural changes were observed during the plastic deformation of ASTM F90 Co-20Cr-15W-10Ni (mass&nbsp;pct) alloy heat-treated at...     

Monte Carlo criticality calculation under extreme condition

Autocorrelation and bias characteristics in the Monte Carlo criticality calculation have been examined for a certain type of extreme problems. Possibility is shown that the bias of the effective multiplication factor can become larger than ?0.1 in magnitude for population size as large as 10,000 starter particles per generation. This bias dramatically decreases if the number of starter particles per generation is large enough so that the noise propagation of a source distribution becomes linear. Furthermore, under this linearity, the bias correction is demonstrated to be an estimation problem of autocorrelation. Therefore, the linearity diagnosis of the noise propagation should be made available in the Monte Carlo criticality codes in public release in order to encompass analysis scenarios beyond normal circumstances.     

SEMICONTINUOUS ETHANOL FERMENTATION WITH SHOCHU DISTILLERY WASTE*

An effective utilization system using distillery waste discharged from Japanese traditional shochu factory was developed. Mugi (barley) shochu distillery waste discharged from a novel vacuum distillation procedure (35–40°C) contained a large number of viable yeast (7 × 10⁶ cells/ml), glucoamylase activity (19.7 units/ml), acid protease activity (940 units/ml), and neutral protease activity (420 units/ml). Ethanol fermentation was achieved with a mash composed of glucose as the sola carbon source and mugi shochu distillery waste. After ethanol fermentation was completed the fermented broth was again distilled at 35–40°C in vacuo and the non volatile residue used in the next ethanol fermentation. In this way, semicontinuous ethanol fermentation system of more than 10 cycles was developed. Even in the distillate of the mash of the 8th fermentation cycle, 7.9% of ethanol, 33.0 ppm of ethyl acetate, 28.5 ppm of isobutyl alcohol, and other aromatic compounds were present. A semicontinuous ethanol fermentation system has been developed for shochu distillery waste which conventionally is treated as wastewater.     

Rheological characterization of konjac glucomannan in concentrated solutions

Dynamic viscoelasticity measurements were performed for concentrated solutions of konjac glucomannan in an ionic liquid. The entanglement coupling appeared in the rheological data for each solution was characterized in terms of the molecular weight between entanglements (M _e) as an average size of the transient entanglement network. The value of M _e for konjac glucomannan in the molten state was estimated to be 1.8 × 10³ (in g mol^?1), being significantly smaller than that for cellulose, although the molecular weight and linkage of the repeating units were the same between these polysaccharides. This result suggested that the configuration of the repeating monosaccharide unit affected the entanglement network of these polysaccharides reflecting the single chain characteristics.     

Ash deposition behavior of upgraded brown coal in pulverized coal combustion boiler

Ash with a low melting point causes slagging and fouling problems in pulverized coal combustion boilers. Ash deposition on heat exchanger tubes reduces the overall heat transfer coefficient due to its low thermal conductivity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ash deposition for Upgraded Brown Coal (UBC) and bituminous coal in a 145 MW practical coal combustion boiler. The UBC stands for Upgraded Brown Coal. The melting temperature of UBC ash is relatively lower than that of bituminous coal ashes. Combustion tests were conducted on blended coal consisting 20 wt.% of UBC and 80 wt.% of bituminous coal. Before actual ash deposition tests, the molten slag fractions in those coal ashes were estimated by means of chemical equilibrium calculations. The calculation results showed the molten slag fraction for UBC ash reached approximately 90% at 1523 K. However, that for blended coal ash decreased to 50%. These calculation results mean that blending UBC with bituminous coal played a role in decreasing the molten slag fraction. This phenomenon occurred because the coal blending led to the formation of alumino-silicates compounds as a solid phase. Next, ash deposition tests were conducted using a practical pulverized coal combustion boiler. A water-cooled stainless-steel tube was inserted in locations at both 1523 K and 1273 K in the boiler to measure the amount of ash deposits. The results showed that the mass of ash deposition for blended coal did not greatly increase, compared with that for bituminous coal alone. Therefore, appropriately blending UBC with bituminous coal enabled the use of UBC without any ash deposition problems in practical boilers.