Increased Synovial CD14 mRNA Expression and Proportion of CD14high Subsets in Early-Stage Hip Osteoarthritis: Propensity Matched Score Analysis

The pathophysiology of early-stage hip osteoarthritis (EOA) is not fully understood. Although a previous study in an age-unmatched cohort reported that the number of macrophages was increased in knee EOA compared to late OA (LOA), it remained unclear whether increased macrophages in EOA accurately reflect EOA pathology. We investigated the differences in CD14 expression levels between EOA and LOA using age-unmatched and -matched cohorts. Synovial tissues were obtained from 34 EOA (Tönnis grades 0 and 1) and 80 LOA (Tönnis grades 2 and 3) patients. To correct for differences in demographics between patients with LOA and EOA, we also created propensity score-matched cohorts (16 EOA and 16 LOA). CD14 expression and its association with pain was estimated in LOA and EOA before and after propensity matching. We performed flow cytometry on tissues from the 16 patients, with 8 from each group, to assess for CD14+ subsets in the cells. The CD14 expression in EOA was higher than that in LOA both before and after propensity matching. The proportion of CD14^high subsets in EOA was higher than that in LOA. The CD14 expression was associated with pain in EOA before matching. However, no difference was observed between the pain and CD14 expression after matching in EOA. The increased CD14 expression and the proportion of CD14^high subsets may be important features associated with hip EOA pathology. To accurately compare early and late OA, the analysis of a propensity score-matched cohort is necessary.     

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by plasma polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol)

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was ‘polymerized’ onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface by radio frequency (RF) plasma polymerization of PEG (average molecular weight 200 Da) at a monomer vapour partial pressure of 10 Pa. Thin films strongly adherent onto PET could be produced by this method. The modified surface was characterized by infra red (IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), cross-cut test, contact angle measurements and static platelet adhesion studies. The modified surface, believed to be extensively cross-linked, however showed all the chemical characteristics of PEG. The surface was found to be highly hydrophilic as evidenced by an interfacial free energy of about 0.7 dynes/cm. AFM studies showed that the surface of the modified PET became smooth by the plasma polymerized deposition. Static platelet adhesion studies using platelet rich plasma (PRP) showed considerably reduced adhesion of platelets onto the modified surface by SEM. Plasma ‘polymerization’ of a polymer such as PEG onto substrates may be a novel and interesting strategy to prepare PEG-like surfaces on a variety of substrates since the technique allows the formation of thin, pin-hole free, strongly adherent films on a variety of substrates.     

Behavioral responses of malePeriplaneta americana L. to female sex pheromone components,periplanone-A and periplanone-B

Bioassays were performed on malePeriplaneta americana L. using synthetic (–)-periplanone-B (P-B) and Hauptmann's (–)-periplanone-A (P-A), and their mixtures at various ratios to estimate the roles of both periplanones for the sexual communication of the species. Both P-A and P-B elicited qualitatively the same responses, such as antennal movement, rapid locomotion, wing raising, and homosexual behavior of male cockroaches, but the threshold of the pheromone activities for P-B was two orders of magnitude lower than that of P-A. Neither synergistic nor inhibitory but only a simple integrated effect on the responses was observed when mixtures of P-A and P-B were applied.     

A study of peripheral airway findings using an ultrathin bronchofiberscope and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid with diffuse panbronchiolitis

A simple analytical model is proposed here that captures to a large extent the kinematic structure of rat exploratory behavior. Previous studies have shown that such behavior consists of regular excursions into the environment from a preferred place termed a home base. In the first part of this study, we showed that with time and repeated exposure to the same large environment, there is a gradual increase in the length of excursions. Concurrently, the rat's velocity pattern changes in a complex yet structured way, which is correlated with the exposure (= familiarity) to places. In this part, we show that the complex pattern described there might be explained by an analytic model, in terms of a simple dynamical system, with few assumptions concerning motivation and learning. The model is studied both by analysis and simulation. The theoretical examination of the dynamics of excursion length suggests that excursion length increases as a linear function of two system parameters, one governing the rate of motivation loss, and the other the rate of (location-specific) familiarization. Combining this theoretical finding with the empirical results suggests that the two theoretical parameters are linearly related: the less confident the rat, the slower its familiarization rate, and thus differences in patterns of movement between rats can be explained using one rat-specific parameter. Furthermore, the more complex velocity pattern of the rat can then be easily captured by the same model. The analyzed behavior of the rat suggests that the locale sensory information that the rat collects has a gradient towards the home base, with decreasing information input away from home base. This sensory pattern emerges from the simple set of rules and restrictions on the rat's exploratory behavior. Thus, instead of imposing a set of ad hoc restrictions on a simulated rat so that its spatial learning is similar to that of a real rat, the model suggests a set of simple intrinsic constraints to govern the exploratory behavior.     

Novel Fabrication of High-Quality ZrO2 Ceramic Thin Films from Aqueous Solution

We report on the direct deposition of high-quality ZrO₂ thin films on various kinds of substrates by the liquid phase deposition method. After reaction for 24 h, thin films formed on various kinds of substrates, and the obtained thin film was comprised of densely packed nano-sized particles. The film annealed at 500°C showed a tetragonal phase at room temperature and this phenomenon has been discussed from the viewpoint of crystallite size effect. The result of optical transmittance measurement revealed that high transparency, more than 70% transmittance, has been achieved for the film after annealing at 900°C.     

Radiation from a Line Source Placed in Two-dimensional Photonic Crystals

A novel formulation of radiation from a localized line source placed in two-dimensional photonic crystals consisting of layered periodic arrays of parallel circular cylinders is presented. The method employs the spectral domain approach. The spectral response of the photonic crystals to the line source excitation is calculated using the lattice sums, the T-matrix of a circular cylinder, and the generalized reflection and transmission matrices of the layered system. The far-zone radiated field is obtained using the conventional asymptotic method to the spectral response. The radiation patterns of the localized line source sandwiched by two photonic crystals are numerically studied.     

Studies of oxidation behaviors of CdTe in ammoniacal basic electrolytes

The time variations in the electrode potential and mass of an electrodeposited CdTe layer when immersed in a deposition bath under an open-circuit condition were examined using an electrochemical QCM in order to observe the oxidation behavior due to dissolved oxygen. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of the CdTe layer were also examined by SEM, EPMA, and XRD measurements. In the early stage of immersion, mostly only Cd atoms in the CdTe were found to dissolve from the zinc blende-type CdTe lattice, keeping the flat and smooth surface morphology intact. Then, the remaining Te formed a lattice of elemental Te and covered the CdTe layer. The electrolyte could penetrate the Te layer and access the CdTe layer's surface because the Te layer was porous due to the elution of Cd atoms. Therefore, the preferential dissolution of Cd species continued to occur, and finally, only the porous Te layer remained on the substrate. This dissolution of CdTe supports the validity of the potential-pH diagram of the Cd-Te-NH₃-H₂O system.     

Deformation of Alumina Droplets on Micro-Patterned Substrates Under Plasma Spraying Conditions

The deformation of plasma-sprayed alumina droplets of 35-55 μm diameter d with an impact velocity of around 90 m/s has been investigated over various micro-patterned substrates with an arithmetic mean roughness of 0.5 μm. On a line-and-space pattern, droplets exhibited elliptical splats extending in the direction perpendicular to the line, when the normalized pattern spacing λ (= x/d) was 0.1-0.3, where x is the pattern spacing. The fingering of the splats was also caused by a concave pattern as well as by a convex pattern and the number of fingers significantly increased at λ = 0.2. In addition, holes suggesting air entrapment were observed off center in the bottom side of each splat by approximately 1.5 times the radius of the droplets, regardless of the pattern. These results suggest the importance of the surface design of substrate on the micrometer scale in plasma spraying.     

Correlation between corrosion rate and AE signal in an acidic environment for mild steel

The AE method is an effective technique for inspecting corrosion damage of mild steel, such as tank bottom floors. However, the correlation between AE signals and corrosion behaviour for mild steel has not yet been fully clarified. In the present study, the authors considered that the corrosion regions of bottom floors become a strong acid environment by Cl⁻, as reported in a previous study. Thus, the polarization resistance for the test pieces of mild steel was measured with an AC impedance method under a strong acid environment. It was clear that the polarization resistance indicated the corrosion rate for a test piece of mild steel in the experiments. While measuring the AE signals, the corrosion rate was monitored with a test piece. As a result, the AE signal showed good correlation with the corrosion rates of the test pieces. The corrosion behaviour of the test pieces was then discussed with the corrosion potential measured during the experiments. Furthermore, the cathode current was changed to control the generated hydrogen gas volume. The volume of the hydrogen gas generated from the cathode reaction was correlated to the AE signals.     

Structural and electrical studies of plasma-deposited polycrystalline silicon thin-films for photovoltaic application

Plasma-deposited polycrystalline Si films [or microcrystalline Si (μc-Si) films] produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) have attracted considerable attention as novel, low-cost and stable materials for the photovoltaic i-layer in p–i–n junction thin-film solar cells. The μc-Si films prepared under various deposition conditions show widely various microstructures, from a crystalline–amorphous mixed state to an almost perfect crystalline state, with different crystallographic orientations. These structural changes directly influence the carrier transport properties that play a dominant role in determining photovoltaic performance. Furthermore, obtaining a uniform built-in electric field throughout the i-layer is a crucial issue for achieving excellent photovoltaic performance. To obtain a uniform electric field, the following terms should be required for the i-layer: ‘truly’ intrinsic characteristic (or not n-type characteristics) as well as structural uniformity in the growth direction without an incubation layer. Here, structural properties of μc-Si for achieving truly intrinsic characteristics are reviewed with an emphasis on collations with the crystalline volume function and the degree of (2 2 0) crystallographic preferential orientation in the crystalline phase. In addition, we reviewed a growth mechanism for the μc-Si film that is actually used in the photovoltaic i-layer in highly efficient solar cells: hybrid-phase growth consisting of conventional vapor-phase growth at the surface and the solid-phase crystallization that simultaneously occurs in the film. That growth is very effective in producing structural uniformity along the growth direction and for formation of crystallites directly on the underlying doped layer.