Optimal Simulation of Distributed Generation System for CO_2-Reduction in Supermarket and Restaurant

After the great east Japan earthquake in 2011, Japanese energy system has been expected to prioritize safety and trustworthiness. Now, distributed power systems are considered as one solution, but utilizing exhaust heat is an important task to be solved. The purpose of this study is to build a simulation model to harness waste heat of commercial buildings. We obtained two types of data： distributed power system in 1/15 scale model of supermarket, restaurant and real world energy consumption of the two buildings. Results showed cold cabinets, whose electricity was affected by temperatures outside and inside, consumed most in supermarket. While air conditioning, affected by air enthalpy of outside and inside, consumed most in restaurant. According to our simulation with gas engine, PV （photovoltaic） panel, PCM （phase change material）, thermal storage, FCU （fan coil unit） and refrigerated cabinets in scale model, we could reduce 27% of CO_2 emission and 25% of running cost by selecting optimal size.     

Preparation of Air-Stable Iron-Oxide-Coated Metallic Iron Nanoparticles

The α-Fe nanoparticles with oxide shell were prepared by the complete reduction of iron oxide ones with hydrogen, followed by the selective surface oxidation as a thin layer. As-treated α-Fe nanoparticles preserved their saturation magnetization and metal α-Fe phase for at least 80 days in the air. In comparison, the unstabilized α-Fe nanoparticles protected only by their silica shell were oxidized instantly in the air and the saturation magnetization of the unstabilized α-Fe nanoparticles was decreased drastically. Since the stabilization procedure was carried out under dry conditions using silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles as precursors, it could be applied to nanoparticles of various sizes and shapes to obtain a stable α-Fe phase.     

Properties of GaAs/InGaAs quantum well solar cells under low concentration operation

Multi-quantum well GaAs/In_0.19Ga_0.81As solar cells have been measured under low concentration levels (1–10 suns) of AM1.5 illumination. An efficiency of 22% has been obtained at a ratio of 4 suns as opposed to 18% under 1 sun AM1.5 conditions. We explain the improvements in conversion efficiency in terms of an enhancement in minority-carrier lifetime under concentration. Even when the concentration ratio is low, the high-injection regime can be achieved since the carrier concentration in the intrinsic layer is very low. The existence of a high concentration of defects at 0.36 eV below the conduction band in the base layer has been observed by the DLTS analysis. Enhancement of the minority-carrier lifetime under concentration is thought to be due to filling of recombination centers by the injection minority carriers.     

An Antisense Oligonucleotide against a Splicing Enhancer Sequence within Exon 1 of the MSTN Gene Inhibits Pre-mRNA Maturation to Act as a Novel Myostatin Inhibitor

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are agents that modulate gene function. ASO-mediated out-of-frame exon skipping has been employed to suppress gene function. Myostatin, encoded by the MSTN gene, is a potent negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. ASOs that induce skipping of out-of-frame exon 2 of the MSTN gene have been studied for their use in increasing muscle mass. However, no ASOs are currently available for clinical use. We hypothesized that ASOs against the splicing enhancer sequence within exon 1 of the MSTN gene would inhibit maturation of pre-mRNA, thereby suppressing gene function. To explore this hypothesis, ASOs against sequences of exon 1 of the MSTN gene were screened for their ability to reduce mature MSTN mRNA levels. One screened ASO, named KMM001, decreased MSTN mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner and reciprocally increased MSTN pre-mRNA levels. Accordingly, KMM001 decreased myostatin protein levels. KMM001 inhibited SMAD-mediated myostatin signaling in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Remarkably, it did not decrease GDF11 mRNA levels, indicating myostatin-specific inhibition. As expected, KMM001 enhanced the proliferation of human myoblasts. We conclude that KMM001 is a novel myostatin inhibitor that inhibits pre-mRNA maturation. KMM001 has great promise for clinical applications and should be examined for its ability to treat various muscle-wasting conditions.     

Proposal of an alternating bending technique for evaluating low‐to‐high cycle fatigue of structural steels

This paper proposes an alternating bending technique for evaluating fatigue life in the low‐to‐high cycle fatigue regime. A method was developed for estimating the stress, elastic strain, and plastic strain ranges of a plastically deformed specimen subjected to alternating bending with consideration of stress and strain distributions. To evaluate its effectiveness, fatigue testing was conducted using a specimen made of a steel used for pressure vessels. The stress, elastic strain, and plastic strain ranges could be obtained during cyclic bending. The elastic strain amplitude life and plastic strain amplitude life curves were linear in a log–log plot in the low‐to‐high cycle fatigue regime. Hence, the fatigue life under alternating bending could be evaluated using the proposed strain‐based approach. However, these curves could not be predicted using equations with parameters obtained from tensile testing, such as the universal slope method, due to the strain gradient in the specimen.     

Bile Acid–Drug Interaction via Organic Anion-Transporting Polypeptide 4C1 Is a Potential Mechanism of Altered Pharmacokinetics of Renally Excreted Drugs

Patients with liver diseases not only experience the adverse effects of liver-metabolized drugs, but also the unexpected adverse effects of renally excreted drugs. Bile acids alter the expression of renal drug transporters, however, the direct effects of bile acids on drug transport remain unknown. Renal drug transporter organic anion-transporting polypeptide 4C1 (OATP4C1) was reported to be inhibited by chenodeoxycholic acid. Therefore, we predicted that the inhibition of OATP4C1-mediated transport by bile acids might be a potential mechanism for the altered pharmacokinetics of renally excreted drugs. We screened 45 types of bile acids and calculated the IC₅₀, K_i values, and bile acid–drug interaction (BDI) indices of bile acids whose inhibitory effect on OATP4C1 was >50%. From the screening results, lithocholic acid (LCA), glycine-conjugated lithocholic acid (GLCA), and taurine-conjugated lithocholic acid (TLCA) were newly identified as inhibitors of OATP4C1. Since the BDI index of LCA was 0.278, LCA is likely to inhibit OATP4C1-mediated transport in clinical settings. Our findings suggest that dose adjustment of renally excreted drugs may be required in patients with renal failure as well as in patients with hepatic failure. We believe that our findings provide essential information for drug development and safe drug treatment in clinics.     

A Dietary Oxysterol, 7-Ketocholesterol,Exacerbates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Dermatitis in Steatohepatitic Mice

Patients with psoriasis are at a higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We previously identified an oxidized derivative of cholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol (7KC), in diet-induced steatohepatitic mice. Here, we investigated whether 7KC exacerbates psoriasis-like dermatitis by accelerating steatohepatitis in mice. A high-fat/high-cholesterol/high-sucrose/bile salt diet (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) diet) with or without 0.0125% 7KC was fed to C57BL/6 mice (7KC or control group) for three weeks to induce steatohepatitis. A 5% imiquimod cream was then applied to the ears and dorsal skin for four days to induce psoriasis-like dermatitis. Hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammatory cell infiltration were exacerbated in the 7KC group compared with the control group after three weeks. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were also elevated in the 7KC group (108.5 ± 9.8 vs. 83.1 ± 13.1 pg/mL, p < 0.005). Imiquimod cream increased the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score in mice in the 7KC group (9.14 ± 0.75 vs. 5.17 ± 1.17, p < 0.0001). Additionally, Tnfa, Il23a, Il17a, and Il22 mRNA levels in the dorsal lesion were significantly upregulated. Finally, Th17 cell differentiation and the TNF signaling pathway were enhanced in the dorsal lesions and liver of mice in the 7KC group. These data suggest that steatohepatitis and psoriasis are linked by a potent, diet-related factor.     

日本の寒地，北海道におけるうるち米粒外観品質の育種（日文）（网络首发、推荐阅读）

北海道では旧来，米粒外観品質を東北以南に遜色ない程度まで向上させるため，乳白，腹白などの未熟粒が少なく整粒歩合や玄米と精米の白度が高くなるように，主に達観により選抜を行ってきた。その結果，1903年以降に育成された新旧品種では，整粒は育成年次が新しいほど概して多く，未熟粒，被害粒および着色粒は減少した。とくに，1961年育成の「ユーカラ」は，整粒歩合が同時代や以前の品種に比べ顕著に高く，系譜からみてその良質性はその後に育成された良質良食味米品種に受け継がれた。1984年以降に育成された主要品種は東北以南の銘柄米品種に比べ，整粒歩合がやや低く未熟粒歩合はやや高かった。玄米と精米の白度は，1971年より前の育成品種では腹白粒等の混入が多く，それが白度を上げるため育成年次と一定の関係が無かった。それ以降，両白度は新しい品種ほど高くなり，精米蛋白質含有率が低いほど高い傾向があった。現在の主要品種は東北以南の銘柄米品種に比べ，玄米白度はやや劣るが，精米白度，玄米透明度および精米透明度には明確な差異が無かった。さらに，整粒のみの玄米白度では，差異はなかった。以上から，現在の北海道主要品種の米粒外観品質は，東北以南銘柄米品種に比べ未熟粒がやや多く整粒がやや少ないことを除き，明確な違いはなくなった。     

The grindability and wear of Ti-Cu alloys for dental applications

To optimize the properties of titanium for use in dentistry, alloying is necessary. This study reports on the characterization of some titanium alloys for grindability, wear, and corrosion resistance. Improvements in grindability and wear seemed to occur with the presence of the eutectoid in the alloy. For more information, contact Toru Okabe, Baylor College of Dentistry, Dept. of Biomaterials Science, 3302 Gaston Ave., Dallas, TX 75246; (214) 828-8190; fax (214) 828-8458; e-mail tokabe@tambcd.edu.     

Network management in a local computer network

The functions and structure of the network management subsystem of the GAMMA-NET, a local computer network at the University of Tsukuba, are presented. The network management subsystem is an integrated subsystem that offers a convenient man-machine interface for the network users during the execution of required jobs, and levels the workload throughout the system, as well as managing the network operations.