Swyer-James syndrome with pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema due to bronchial asthma

A 24-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to moderate asthmatic attacks. Dyspnea and hypoxemia progressed gradually despite medication. A chest roentgenogram revealed left unilateraly hyperlucency with pneumomediastiumn and subcutaneous emphysema. Swyer-James syndrome was diagnosed. Several cases of Swyer-James syndrome with bronchial asthma airway hyperresponsiveness have been reported, but we know of no reports of Swyer-James syndrome with pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema due to prolonged asthmatic attacks. Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema may be caused by abnormally high pressures in the bronchial lumen and alveolar space during asthmatic attacks, because the emphysematous lesion may be structurally weak.     

High magnesium concentration inhibits ligand-stimulated calcium influx and hormone secretion in rat pituitary lactotropes with involvement of intracellular free magnesium

The effects of extracellular magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]ex) on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-stimulated intracellular free calcium mobilization and prolactin secretion were investigated concomitantly with measurement of the intracellular free magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]i). TRH-stimulated intracellular free calcium mobilization was significantly inhibited when the medium was replaced by high Mg2+ medium ([Mg2+]ex = 10 mM) in normal Ca2+ medium. The inhibitory effects of high Mg2+ became apparent concomitantly with an increase in [Mg2+]i from 0.7 to 1.3 mM. High Mg2+ significantly inhibited TRH-induced PRL secretion in a dose-dependent manner in normal Ca2+ medium. TRH-stimulated inositol triphosphate (IP3) production was rather augmented by the replacement with high Mg2+ medium. In summary, high Mg2+ inhibits Ca2+ influx stimulated by TRH in the rat pituitary lactotropes, possibly with the involvement of [Mg2+]i increase. These results have general importance in relation to high Mg(2+)-induced suppression of the biological functions of cells.     

Motion control of a snake robot moving between two non-parallel planes

A control method that makes the head of a snake robot follow an arbitrary trajectory on two non-parallel planes, including coexisting sloped and flat planes, is presented. We clarify an appropriate condition of contact between the robot and planes and design a controller for the part of the robot connecting the two planes that satisfies the contact condition. Assuming that the contact condition is satisfied, we derive a simplified model of the robot and design a controller for trajectory tracking of the robot’s head. The controller uses kinematic redundancy to avoid violating the limit of the joint angle and a collision between the robot and the edge of a plane. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated in experiments using an actual robot.     

Characterization of electrode/electrolyte interface using in situ X-ray reflectometry and LiNi0.8Co0.2O2 epitaxial film electrode synthesized by pulsed laser deposition method

An in situ experimental technique was developed for detecting structure changes at the electrode/electrolyte interface of lithium cell using synchrotron X-ray reflectometry and two-dimensional model electrodes with a restricted lattice plane. The electrode was constructed with an epitaxial film of LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition method. The orientation of the epitaxial film depends on the substrate plane; the 2D layer of LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ is parallel to the SrTiO₃ (1 1 1) substrate ((0 0 3)_{LiCo0.2Ni0.8O2}//(1 1 1)SrTiO₃), while the 2D layer is perpendicular to the SrTiO₃ (1 1 0) substrate ((1 1 0)_{LiCo0.2Ni0.8O2}//(1 1 0)SrTiO₃). These films provided an ideal reaction field suitable for detecting structure changes at the electrode/electrolyte interface during the electrochemical reaction. The X-ray reflectometry indicated a formation of a thin-film layer at the LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ (1 1 0)/electrolyte interface during the first charge-discharge cycle, while the LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ (0 0 3) surface showed an increase in the surface roughness without forming the surface thin-film layer. The reaction mechanism at the electrode/electrolyte interface is discussed based on our new experimental technique for lithium batteries.     

Simultaneous Detection and Repair of Wetting Defects in Superhydrophobic Coatings via Cassie–Wenzel Transitions of Liquid Marbles

Superhydrophobic materials that prevent unwanted liquid adhesion can easily lose this property because of limited mechanical durability despite topological/chemical control and/or robust material selection. Here, long‐lasting superhydrophobic coatings with a system to effectively detect and repair damaged areas with “liquid marble,” a droplet covered with hydrophobic nanoparticles, are reported. The particles prevent direct contact between the droplet and the substrate (Cassie state). However, they can adhere to the non‐superhydrophobic damaged area in response to the substrate wettability via an external force or an increase in liquid volume via penetration of the outer nanoparticle layer (Wenzel state). This Cassie–Wenzel transition thus induces self‐assembly of the nanoparticles onto the non‐superhydrophobic area in response to the wettability, restoring superhydrophobicity.     

The effect of polystyrene as a porogen on the fluoride ion adsorption of Zr(IV) surface-immobilized resin

A novel adsorbent, Zr(IV)-immobilized resin, was prepared by surface template polymerization. This adsorbent, prepared by adding polystyrene (PS) to resin, has a high adsorption capacity for the removal of fluoride ion from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity increased with rising PS concentration, since the specific surface area can be effectively increased by adding polystyrene as a porogen. The adsorption isotherm has been modeled by the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Langmuir equation. The removal of fluoride was also carried out using a column method. The presence of PS in the resin exerted a remarkable influence on the uptake of fluoride ion. The fluoride adsorbed on the resin was quantitatively eluted with 0.1 M NaOH.     

A Revised Transformation Protocol for Unconditionally Secure Secret Key Exchange

The transformation protocol can allow two players to share an unconditionally secure secret key using a random deal of cards. A sufficient condition on the number of cards for the transformation protocol to succeed was known. However, it has been an open problem to obtain a necessary and sufficient condition. This paper improves the transformation protocol and gives a necessary and sufficient condition for the resulting protocol to succeed. An early version of the paper was presented in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 3106.     

Particle electrification and levitation in a continuous particle feed and dispersion system with vibration and external electric fields

Electrification and levitation of particles in a continuous particle feed and dispersion system have been studied both theoretically and experimentally. This system consisted of a vibrator and inclined parallel electrodes. A mesh and a vibrating plate were used for the upper and lower electrodes, respectively. A dc voltage was applied to one of the electrodes and the other electrode was grounded. Particles fed to the lower electrode were charged by induction and levitated upward by the Coulomb forces. When the applied voltage was high enough, the particles passed through the mesh electrode. The charge of the particles was measured with a Faraday cup, and the particle behavior was observed with a high-speed microscope camera. The particle charges were also analyzed from experimentally obtained particle trajectories and numerically calculated electric fields. Finally, the conditions for the effective levitation and dispersion of the charged particles and their mechanisms were studied and have been described in detail.