Parallel streamer discharges between wire and plane electrodes in water

Streamer discharges in tap water and distilled water have been generated by applying a voltage pulse from 120 to 175 kV and 500 ns duration to a wire-to-electrode configuration. Electrical and optical diagnostics were used to explore the temporal development of the streamers in tap and distilled water, at various applied voltages and both polarities. With the wire serving as anode, multiple, parallel streamer discharges were generated. The number density of these streamers along the wire decreases with decreasing electric field on the surface of the wire. The dependence of the streamer density on electric field indicates the role of field enhancement at inhomogeneous microstructures along the wire as streamer initiation mechanism. The appearance of the discharge was different for tap and distilled water. However, the measured average streamer propagation velocity from the positive wire to the grounded plane electrode, of 32 mm//spl mu/s, was independent of the water conductivity and the applied voltage. This suggests the existence of a self-sustained electric field at the streamer head. With the wire serving as cathode, only a weak light emission from the area close to the wire was observed, and streamers did not appear for the same voltage amplitude as with the positive polarity. This suggests that an ionic current flowing in the water is not dominant in the streamer propagation process.     

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Contributes to Differentiation of Monocyte-Derived Tumor-Associated Macrophages via PAI-1 and IL-8 Production

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, as well as anti-tumor immune suppression. Recent studies have shown that tumors enhance the recruitment and differentiation of TAMs, but the detailed mechanisms have not been clarified. We thus examined the influence of cancer cells on the differentiation of monocytes to TAM subsets, including CD163⁺, CD204⁺, and CD206⁺ cells, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and a cytokine array. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of OSCC cells (HSC-2, SQUU-A, and SQUU-B cells) on the differentiation of purified CD14⁺ cells to TAM subsets. The localization patterns of CD163⁺, CD204⁺, and CD206⁺ in OSCC sections were quite different. The expression of CD206 on CD14⁺ cells was significantly increased after the co-culture with OSCC cell lines, while the expressions of CD163 and CD204 on CD14⁺ cells showed no change. High concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected in the conditioned medium of OSCC cell lines. PAI-1 and IL-8 stimulated CD14⁺ cells to express CD206. Moreover, there were positive correlations among the numbers of CD206⁺, PAI-1⁺, and IL-8⁺ cells in OSCC sections. These results suggest that PAI-1 and IL-8 produced by OSCC contribute to the differentiation of monocytes to CD206⁺ TAMs.     

Characterization of Class V DyP-Type Peroxidase SaDyP1 from Streptomyces avermitilis and Evaluation of SaDyPs Expression in Mycelium

DyP-type peroxidases are a family of heme peroxidases named for their ability to degrade persistent anthraquinone dyes. DyP-type peroxidases are subclassified into three classes: classes P, I and V. Based on its genome sequence, Streptomyces avermitilis, eubacteria, has two genes presumed to encode class V DyP-type peroxidases and two class I genes. We have previously shown that ectopically expressed SaDyP2, a member of class V, indeed has the characteristics of a DyP-type peroxidase. In this study, we analyzed SaDyP1, a member of the same class V as SaDyP2. SaDyP1 showed high amino acid sequence identity to SaDyP2, retaining a conserved GXXDG motif and catalytic aspartate. SaDyP1 degraded anthraquinone dyes, which are specific substrates of DyP-type peroxidases but not azo dyes. In addition to such substrate specificity, SaDyP1 showed other features of DyP-type peroxidases, such as low optimal pH. Furthermore, immunoblotting using an anti-SaDyP2 polyclonal antibody revealed that SaDyP1 and/or SaDyP2 is expressed in mycelia of wild-type S. avermitilis.     

High‐pixel‐rate grating‐light‐valve laser projector

Abstract— A high‐pixel‐rate, high‐contrast (30,000:1) wide‐color‐gamut grating‐light‐valve laser projector is reported. A new optical engine enabling high‐frame‐rate (240 Hz) scan projection is employed. Panoramic wide‐angle‐scan projection with a 64:9 aspect ratio was also developed. Speckle noise is eliminated using a simple but highly efficient technique. The optical throughput efficiency of the grating‐light‐valve laser projector is reviewed.     

Realization of Dynamic Walking and Running of the Quadruped Using Neural Oscillator

In the present study we attempt to induce a quadruped robot to walk dynamically on irregular terrain and run on flat terrain by using a nervous system model. For dynamic walking on irregular terrain, we employ a control system involving a neural oscillator network, a stretch reflex and a flexor reflex. Stable dynamic walking when obstructions to swinging legs are present is made possible by the flexor reflex and the crossed extension reflex. A modification of the single driving input to the neural oscillator network makes it possible for the robot to walk up a step. For running on flat terrain, we combine a spring mechanism and the neural oscillator network. It became clear in this study that the matching of two oscillations by the spring-mass system and the neural oscillator network is important in order to keep jumping in a pronk gait. The present study also shows that entrainment between neural oscillators causes the running gait to change from pronk to bound. This finding renders running fairly easy to attain in a bound gait. It must be noticed that the flexible and robust dynamic walking on irregular terrain and the transition of the running gait are realized by the modification of a few parameters in the neural oscillator network.     

A two-step surface-based 3D deep learning pipeline for segmentation of intracranial aneurysms

Computational Visual Media - The exact shape of intracranial aneurysms is critical in medical diagnosis and surgical planning. While voxel-based deep learning frameworks have been proposed for this...     

Effects of spacer-chain length on the photoelectrochemical responses of monolayer assemblies with ruthenium tris(2,2′-bipyridine) - viologen linked disulfides

Photochemical and photoelectrochemical properties of ruthenium tris(2,2′-bipyridine) (Ru²⁺)-viologen (V²⁺) linked disulfides [RuCnVC₆S]₂ (n (number of methylene groups)=3, 7) with different spacer-chain lengths and Ru²⁺ disulfides [RuC_mS]₂ (m=13, 17) were compared. The luminescence intensity in CH₃CN was in the order of [RuC₁₃S]₂≈[RuC₁₇S]₂>[RuC₇VC₆S]₂[RuC₃VC₆S]₂, implying efficient photoinduced electron-transfer between Ru²⁺ and V²⁺ moieties in the linked compounds. The monolayer assembly of the compound was fabricated on a gold surface. In the presence of triethanolamine, the anodic photocurrent was clearly observed from the RuC_nVC₆S/Au (n=3, 7) electrode (gold electrode modified with [RuCnVC₆S]₂), and its intensity was substantially larger for n=7 than for n=3. Photocurrent action spectra for the RuC_nVC₆S/Au (n=3, 7) electrodes were well correlated with the corresponding electronic absorption spectra in solution. The photocurrent from the RuC₇VC₆S/Au electrode was reduced more effectively by the coexistence of a water-soluble viologen as compared with the RuC₃VC₆S/Au electrode. The photocurrent from the RuC_mS/Au (m=13, 17) electrode was very small. The results suggest that the spacer-chain length between the Ru²⁺ and the V²⁺ moieties profoundly affects the Ru²⁺-sensitized photocurrent.     

Arithmetic Meyer sets and finite automata

Non-standard number representation has proved to be useful in the speed-up of some algorithms, and in the modelization of solids called quasicrystals. Using tools from automata theory we study the set of β-integers, that is, the set of real numbers which have a zero fractional part when expanded in a real base β, for a given β > 1. In particular, when β is a Pisot number — like the golden mean —, the set is a Meyer set, which implies that there exists a finite set F (which depends only on β) such that . Such a finite set F, even of minimal size, is not uniquely determined.In this paper we give a method to construct the sets F and an algorithm, whose complexity is exponential in time and space, to minimize their size. We also give a finite transducer that performs the decomposition of the elements of as a sum belonging to .     

A reduction method of dynamic false contour utilizing the frame‐rate‐control method with suppression of the side effect on PDPs

Abstract— The plasma‐display panel (PDP) is a type of flat‐panel display that can display a high‐quality image. However, when moving images are displayed, annoying disturbances such as false contour noise occurs. This noise is called dynamic false contour (DFC). To achieve a higher‐quality image, DFC has to be reduced. Therefore, a new method to reduce DFC is proposed. To find a way to reduce DFC, a new evaluation value for it has been defined: the evaluation value of dynamic false contour (EVDFC). This value is defined on the basis of a person's subjective evaluation. By applying this value, the cause that generates DFC can be identified. On the basis of these studies, a new method for reducing DFC by applying frame‐rate control (FRC) with suppression of the side effect is proposed. This improved method can be used to provide high‐quality images.