The Complete Loss of p53 Expression Uniquely Predicts Worse Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer

p53 immunohistochemistry is considered an accurate surrogate marker reflecting the underlying TP53 mutation status and has utility in tumor diagnostics. In the present study, 269 primary CRCs were immunohistochemically evaluated for p53 expression to assess its utility in diagnostic pathology and prognostication. p53 expression was wild-type in 59 cases (23%), overexpressed in 143 cases (55%), completely lost in 50 cases (19%), and cytoplasmic in 10 cases (4%). p53 immunoreactivity was associated with tumor size (p = 0.0056), mucus production (p = 0.0015), and mismatch repair (MMR) system status (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, among CRCs with wild-type p53 expression, a significantly higher number of cases had decreased CDX2 than those with p53 overexpression (p = 0.012) or complete p53 loss (p = 0.043). In contrast, among CRCs with p53 overexpression, there were significantly fewer ALCAM-positive cases than p53 wild-type cases (p = 0.0045). However, no significant association was detected between p53 immunoreactivity and the “stem-like” immunophenotype defined by CDX2 downregulation and ALCAM-positivity. Multivariate Cox hazards regression analysis identified tubular-forming histology (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.17, p < 0.0001), younger age (HR = 0.52, p = 0.021), and female sex (HR = 0.55, p = 0.046) as potential favorable factors. The analysis also revealed complete p53 loss (HR = 2.16, p = 0.0087), incomplete resection (HR = 2.65, p = 0.0068), and peritoneal metastasis (HR = 5.32, p < 0.0001) as potential independent risk factors for patients with CRC. The sub-cohort survival analyses classified according to chemotherapy after surgery revealed that CRC patients with wild-type p53 expression tended to have better survival than those with overexpression or complete loss after chemotherapy. Thus, immunohistochemistry for p53 could be used for the prognostication and chemotherapy target selection of patients with CRC.     

Analog Circuit Design Methodology in a Low Power RISC Microprocessor

There are various kinds of analog CMOS circuits in microprocessors. IOs, clock distribution circuits including PLL, memories are the main analog circuits. The circuit techniques to achieve low power dissipation combined with high performance in newest prototype chip in the Super H RISC engines are described. A TLB delay can be decreased by using a CAM with a differential amplifier to generate the match signal. The accelerator circuit also helps to speed up the TLB circuit, enabling single-cycle operation. A fabricated 96-mm² test chip with the super H architecture using 0.35-m four metal CMOS technology is capable of 167-MHz operation at 300 Dhrystone MIPS with 2.0-W power dissipation.     

Seismic tests of a pile-supported structure in liquefiable sand using large-scale blast excitation

Extensive, large-amplitude vibration tests of a pile-supported structure in a liquefiable sand deposit have been performed at a large-scale mining site. Ground motions from large-scale blasting operations were used as excitation forces for vibration tests. A simple pile-supported structure was constructed in an excavated 3 m-deep pit. The test pit was backfilled with 100% water-saturated clean uniform sand. Accelerations were measured on the pile-supported structure, in the sand in the test pit, and in the adjacent free field. Excess pore water pressures in the test pit and strains of one pile were also measured.Vibration tests were performed with six different levels of input motions. The maximum horizontal acceleration recorded at the adjacent ground surface varied from 20 Gals to 1353 Gals. These alternations of acceleration provided different degrees of liquefaction in the test pit. Sand boiling phenomena were observed in the test pit with larger input motions. This paper outlines vibration tests and investigates the test results.     

Application of unified voltage analysis for high‐ and low‐voltage distribution systems by power flow calculation using indication method between nodes

It has been noted that the voltage of connection points rises according to the reverse power flow when grid‐connected photovoltaic systems are concentrated in distribution systems in residential areas. When this happens, the photovoltaic system may control the power generation output to maintain a suitable voltage for the connection point. Designing a demand area power system aiming at free access to a distributed power supply for energy‐effective practical use requires a precise understanding of this problem. When analyzing photovoltaic systems mainly connected to low‐voltage systems, we looked for a method of analysis in which the high‐voltage systems and the low‐voltage single‐phase three‐wire systems are unified. This report concerns use of the indication method between nodes using power flow calculation, for the purpose of developing a technique of analyzing unified high‐voltage systems and low‐voltage single‐phase three‐wire systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 147(3): 49–62, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10255     

Development of automatic fault point locating and sectional isolating system for power distribution line

This paper describes the development of the Automatic Fault Point Locating and Sectional Isolating System. This system locates a single-line-to-ground fault point at each pole by using ground-current sensors, and isolates the faulted section by controlling pole switches with no outage of unfaulted sections. The ground-current sensor is connected to the line between allied ground terminals of pole devices and grounded conductor. It detects a ground fault current of more than 0.64 amperes that is determined so as to avoid an unexpected operation by stray current, but to detect the fault current accurately, and sends out an emergency signal with time delay of 0.1 s. Sectional isolation starts when both the emergency signal from the sensor and relay operation signals from a substation are received and ends within a feeder circuit-breaker tripping time of 1.5 s.     

Oxygen Reduction Electrode Properties of Manganese Oxide Nanosheet-Based Materials

Two types of oxide nanosheet-based materials, H₃O⁺-form regularly stacked manganese oxide nanosheets (H₃O⁺-RG(Mn)) and H₃O⁺-form randomly restacked manganese oxide nanosheets (H₃O⁺-RE(Mn)) were synthesized by soft chemical methods, and their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities were examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and semi-steady-state voltammetry (SSV) with a rotating ring-disc electrode at 70 °C in 0.1 M KOH. Both samples showed high onset potentials (E _on) of the ORR current and high efficiencies (Eff ₄) of the 4-electron reduction of oxygen, and E _on and Eff ₄ values were improved by electrochemical oxidation up to 1.2 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode) in the CV measurement prior to the SSV measurement. As a result, the nanosheet-based samples exhibited higher ORR activities than the starting materials, K⁺-form layered manganese oxide K_0.5MnO₂ (K⁺-RG(Mn)) and Mn₂O₃, and a well-known ORR catalyst, MnO₂. The H₃O⁺-RE(Mn) sample electrochemically oxidized up to 1.2 V showed the highest ORR activity, E _on = 0.97 V and Eff ₄ = 99%, which were comparable to those of a conventional 20 mass% Pt/C catalyst. The comparison of their ORR activities, BET surface areas and X-ray photoelectron spectra suggests that the enhancement of the ORR activity is attributed to an increase in the numbers of the ORR active sites and a large amount of H₂O in the interlayers and on the surface of the nanosheets because of rapid of H₂O-supply enough for ORR in alkaline solution.     

Vacuum Insulation and Achievement of 980 keV, 185 A/m~2 H-Ion Beam Acceleration at JAEA for the ITER Neutral Beam Injector

Vacuum insulation of 1 MV is a common issue for the HV bushing and the accel- erator for the ITER neutral beam injector (NBI). The HV bushing as an insulating feedthrough has a five-stage structure and each stage consists of double-layered insulators. To sustain 1 MV in vacuum, reduction of electric field at several triple points existing around the double-layered insulators is a critical issue. To reduce electric field simultaneously at these points, three types of stress ring have been developed. In a voltage holding test of a full-scale mockup equipped with these stress rings, 120% of rated voltage was sustained and the voltage holding capability required in ITER was verified. In the MeV accelerator, whose target is the acceleration of a H ion beam of 1 MeV, 200 A/m 2 , the gap between the grid support was extended to suppress breakdowns triggered by electric field concentration at the edge and corner of the grid support. This modi- fication improved the voltage holding capability in vacuum, and the MeV accelerator succeeded in sustaining 1 MV stably. Furthermore, it appeared that the H ions beam was deflected and a part of the beam was intercepted at the acceleration grid. This causes high heat load on the grids and breakdowns during beam acceleration. To suppress the direct interception, a new grid was designed with proper aperture displacement based on a three dimensional beam trajectory analysis. As a result, 980 keV, 185 A/m 2 H ion beam acceleration has been demonstrated, which is close to the ITER requirement.     

Advanced grid connected PV system with functions to suppress disturbance by PV output variation and customer load change

The PV array has unstable output patterns dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, assuming high-density grid connection in the future, these unstable output patterns can be one of the main reasons to cause power disturbances such as the voltage variation, the frequency variation and the harmonic voltage generation into utility. And also it should be considered that a sudden customer load change is one of those reasons. Therefore, this study suggested a PV system with suppression functions against such disturbances in the side of amicable relationship with utility and verified the validity of the proposed system by EMTP and ACSL-based analysis.     

Development of the surface displacement velocity in a full-scale loamy model slope under multistep excavation

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Multistep excavations were implemented at the toe of a large-scale slope model, and the surface displacements in the slope were measured to...