Direct volume manipulation for visualizing intraoperative liver resection process

This paper introduces a new design and application for direct volume manipulation for visualizing the intraoperative liver resection process. So far, interactive volume deformation and resection have been independently handled due to the difficulty of representing elastic behavior of volumetric objects. Our framework models global shape editing and discontinuous local deformation by merging proxy geometry encoding and displacement mapping. A local-frame-based elastic model is presented to allow stable editing of the liver shape including bending and twisting while preserving the volume. Several tests using clinical CT data have confirmed the developed software and interface can represent the intraoperative state of liver and produce local views of reference vascular structures, which provides a “road map of vessels” that are key features when approaching occluded tumors during surgery.     

Note: In vivo pH imaging system using luminescent indicator and color camera

Microscopic in vivo pH imaging system is developed that can capture the luminescent- and color-imaging. The former gives a quantitative measurement of a pH distribution in vivo. The latter captures the structural information that can be overlaid to the pH distribution for correlating the structure of a specimen and its pH distribution. By using a digital color camera, a luminescent image as well as a color image is obtained. The system uses HPTS (8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate) as a luminescent pH indicator for the luminescent imaging. Filter units are mounted in the microscope, which extract two luminescent images for using the excitation-ratio method. A ratio of the two images is converted to a pH distribution through a priori pH calibration. An application of the system to epidermal cells of Lactuca Sativa L is shown.     

The development of internal cavitation in a superplastic zinc–aluminum alloy processed by ECAP

A Zn-22% Al eutectoid alloy was processed by Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) to produce an ultrafine grain size and then pulled in tension at elevated temperatures to evaluate the role of internal cavitation under superplastic conditions. Tensile testing yielded a highest elongation of 2,230% at a strain rate of 1.0 × 10^?2 s^?1 at 473 K representing high strain rate superplasticity. Quantitative cavity measurements were taken to investigate the significance of the internal cavities formed during superplastic deformation. The results demonstrate that cavity nucleation occurs continuously throughout superplastic flow, and there is a transition in the cavity growth mechanism from superplastic diffusion growth at the smaller cavity sizes to plasticity-controlled growth at the larger sizes.     

μ+SR Study on Bi2Sr2Ca1−x Y x (Cu1−y Zn y )2O8+δ around the Hole Concentration of \frac{1} {8} per Cu

In order to study the effect in different high-T _c oxides from the La-system, muon spin relaxation measurements were applied to the Zn-substituted Bi-2212 system, Bi ₂ Sr ₂ Ca _1–x Y _x (Cu _1–y Zn _y ) ₂ O ₈₊ , around the hole concentration p= per Cu. It has been revealed that the magnetic correlation between Cu spins is anomalously enhanced in the Zn-substituted samples at per Cu, proving the existence of the effect" in the Bi-2212 system as well.     

Effects of Chronic Intracerebroventricular Infusion of RFamide-Related Peptide-3 on Energy Metabolism in Male Mice

RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), the mammalian ortholog of avian gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), plays a crucial role in reproduction. In the present study, we explored the other functions of RFRP-3 by investigating the effects of chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of RFRP-3 (6 nmol/day) for 13 days on energy homeostasis in lean male C57BL/6J mice. The infusion of RFRP-3 increased cumulative food intake and body mass. In addition, the masses of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and the liver were increased by the administration of RFRP-3, although the mass of white adipose tissue was unchanged. On the other hand, RFRP-3 decreased O₂ consumption, CO₂ production, energy expenditure, and core body temperature during a short time period in the dark phase. These results suggest that the increase in food intake and the decrease in energy expenditure contributed to the gain of body mass, including the masses of BAT and the liver. The present study shows that RFRP-3 regulates not only reproductive function, but also energy metabolism, in mice.     

Conformational Analysis of a High‐Mannose‐Type Oligosaccharide Displaying Glucosyl Determinant Recognised by Molecular Chaperones Using NMR‐Validated Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Exploration of the conformational spaces of flexible oligosaccharides is essential to gain deeper insights into their functional mechanisms. Here we characterised dynamic conformation of a high‐mannose‐type dodecasaccharide with a terminal glucose residue, a critical determinant recognised by molecular chaperones. The dodecasaccharide was prepared by our developed chemoenzymatic technique, which uses ¹³C labelling and lanthanide tagging to detect conformation‐dependent paramagnetic effects by NMR spectroscopy. The NMR‐validated molecular dynamics simulation produced the dynamic conformational ensemble of the dodecasaccharide. This determined its spatial distribution as well as the glycosidic linkage conformation of the terminal glucose determinant. Moreover, comparison of our results with previously reported crystallographic data indicates that the chaperone binding to its target oligosaccharides involves an induced‐fit mechanism.     

Evaluation of hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber dispersions in a hydrophobic isotactic polypropylene composite

An effective approach for the evaluation of dispersed hydrophilic cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) in hydrophobic isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is presented using scattering and microscopic techniques for fiber analysis on nanometer and micrometer scales. iPP composites reinforced with CNF fibrous fillers were characterized by small-angle light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, and polarized optical microscopy measurements in the molten state in order to evaluate the shape of CNF fillers and/or larger aggregates formed from these fibers. The best dispersion results in the molten state coincided with low concentrations of CNFs. We observed the effect of CNFs on the acceleration of iPP crystal growth using wide-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimeter measurements. It was even possible to observe the nucleation morphology around CNF fibrous fillers using transmission electron microscopy.