This paper presents temperature dependence of electric resistance and Joule heat properties in carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulphone () resin composites. The composite specimens were fabricated using recycled CFRP pieces or carbon fibers mixed with resin through an injection molding method. First, resistivitytemperature curves of the composites specimens were measured during heat cycles. Next, temperature rise due to Joule heat was measured and plotted against input power. Finally, resistivity of carbon fiber was measured for temperatures up to 473 K. It is found that resistivity of the composites obeys the percolation power law and shows the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) in the temperature range lower than load-deflection temperature of the resin. This NTC is proved to be mainly due to the NTC of carbon fiber. Resistivity at room temperature is reduced after each heat cycle. Temperature rise due to Joule heat is approximately proportional to input power per unit volume.

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Phthalate esters () are plasticizers used in many plastic products, food packaging materials, and medical bags. The widespread use of has led to ubiquitous environmental contamination and human-exposure. Several epidemiological studies have indicated that exposure to , especially during the prenatal period, induces adverse effects, including developmental and behavioral abnormalities, suggesting that are endocrine-disrupters. Although the endocrine-disrupting effect of is thought to be estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated, the ER-binding affinity of is quite low, indicating that other mechanisms should be considered. In this review, we demonstrate that alkyl chain length and hydroxylation of have a significant impact on binding to ERs and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. In addition, we discuss recent results from our laboratory that suggest additional risks may arise from environmental and metabolic processing of through microbial transformation, microsomal metabolism, and sunlight exposure.

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The purpose of this research was to investigate the horizontal dimensional variations in maxillary complete dentures fabricated with Polyethersulfone () using compression molding. Dimensional changes were compared for the three different materials , Polysulfone (PSF), and PMMA.
The results were as follows:
1. In the case of the occlusion rim, all three materials displayed horizontal shrinkage both in the anteroposterior and in the left/right directions. PMMA had the largest shrinkage, followed by PSF and in that order.
2. In the case of the denture, PSF had the largest horizontal shrinkage in the anteroposterior direction, followed by and PMMA in that order. In the left/right direction the shrinkage was largest for PMMA, followed by and PSF in that order.
3. , like PMMA displayed a uniform shrinkage in the anteroposterior direction, with little difference observed between shrinkage in the anterior and posterior region. However, , like PSF, had greater shrinkage in molar region than the anterior region.

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Increasing excitability of the pathway between the primary motor cortex and the skeletal muscles might play an important role in promote functional motor recovery after central nervous system (CNS) damage. Peripheral nerve electrical stimulation (

) effectively increases the excitability of this pathway in patients with CNS damage. Furthermore, combined with voluntary contraction or motor imagery is more effective than each intervention alone. However, the modulatory effect of on corticospinal excitability varies with the type of voluntary contraction performed. In healthy people, shortening contraction with increases corticospinal excitability, whereas isometric contraction with has no effect on excitability. On the other hand, parameter is a crucial factor for determining the extent of modulation of corticospinal excitability after . The application of train is a new method and is more effective than conventional in increasing excitability. In summary, both combined with voluntary contraction or motor imagery and train may promote functional motor recovery after CNS damage more than conventional does. However, further verification of the optimal parameter is necessary.

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anserinus syndrome was first described by B. Calandriello in 1973. This syndrome is characterized by pain in the part of the anserinus, which is often elicited by flexion of the knee against resistance and by internal rotation of the leg when standing.
Recently, we experienced three cases of this syndrome out of 240 outpatients with complaints of pain in the knee. All cases, which were 64-year-old, 55-year-old and 44-year-old females, were treated by local steroid infiltration with rapid resolution.

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The first monocomponent developers introduced to the market were used for direct fixation on dielectric papers. Their low electrical resistance prevented transfer to normal papers. Today's monocomponent developers have a much greater resistance. In this study, developers with various silica coatings are investigated. Alteration of the frequency distribution of the electrostatic charge (q/d) and of the electrical conductivity (DC) is determined.

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We have ever developed a micro dialyzer consisting of micro channels and nano-porous polyethersulfone () membrane for dialysis membrane. membrane is broadly used as a membrane for nanofiltetration such as fractionation, purification, and dialysis. However in the long term, membrane is apt to absorb and make the protein layer, which produces the platelet adhesion when its surface is contacted to the blood, then the performance of our device drastically get worse. Therefore in this work, we modified the membrane by coating Fluorinated Diamond Like Carbon (F-DLC) film. We investigated anticoagulants of the F-DLC/ membrane using a microfluidic device and experimentally showed that the amount of cells absorbed to the surface substantially reduced in F-DLC/ membrane. We also conducted long term use evaluation of F-DLC/ membrane for 9 days and the performance of normal membrane was seemed to drop off while it was steady in F-DLC/ membrane.

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We have reported that the postextrasystolic () potentiation of left ventricular (LV) contractility usually decays in alternans at heart rates above 80–100 beats/min in the canine excised, cross-circulated heart. We examined whether the contractility would also decay in alternans even in the canine in situ heart presumably more physiological than the excised heart. In anesthetized, ventilated, and open-chest mongrel dogs, we measured LV pressure and volume with a micromanometer and a conductance catheter cannulated into the LV and obtained LV end-systolic maximum elastance (E_max) as the reasonably load-independent contractility index. We inserted an extrasystole followed by a compensatory pause into steady-state regular beats at heart rates above 90 beats/min and analyzed the decay pattern of E_max. We found that E_max potentiated in the first beat decayed in alternans within 5–6 beats. This indicates that contractility also decays in alternans in the normal canine in situ heart.

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Many researchers have found evidence of the estrogenic effects of phthalate esters (), but the disruption mechanism is not fully elucidated. Once are hydroxylated at the ring 4-position, the resulting compounds exhibit unequivocal binding affinity for human estrogen receptors. In this study, we first succeeded to demonstrate the generation of potent estrogenic metabolite from . We used rat liver microsomes and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) as a representative for the metabolism of . Among the metabolites detected by HPLC, one of them was consistent with an authentic compound, 4-hydroxylated DMP (DMP-4OH) on their HPLC profiles. Together with the UV (λmax = 257 nm) and MS (m/z 210) data, the metabolite was concluded to be DMP-4OH. We propose that this ring-hydroxylated metabolite could be a key active species in the endocrine disrupting processes of .

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Our previous study revealed that phthalate esters (), a group of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals, acquire estrogenic activities by ring 4-hydroxylation. In addition, the estrogenic activities are modified depending on alkyl chain structures (chain length and branching), which can be altered in the environmental conditions such as microbial degradation. Therefore, it is important to determine the environmental fate of these alkyl chains to evaluate the biological impact of on humans and wildlife. are known to undergo biodegradation via sequential hydrolysis, resulting in the formation of monoester and dicarboxylic acid forms. In this study, dipropyl phthalate chosen as one of was cultivated with Acinetobacter lwoffii, a known PE-degrading bacterium, in the presence of a limited amount of CH₃OH as a PE-solvent. As a result, several unknown biotransformation products were detected. The products were characterized as methyl propyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, and monomethyl phthalate, suggesting that environmental are processed through novel biotransformation pathways. The products can be produced both by esterification of monoester forms and transesterification of diester forms. However, when monobutyl phthalate—a monoester of dibutyl phthalate—was used as a substrate, esterified products were not detected, indicating phthalate methyl esters were formed via transesterification. A stable-isotope tracer experiment using CD₃OH instead of CH₃OH revealed the production of phthalate methyl esters, the molecular ions of which shifted by 3 or 6 atomic mass units. These results revealed that PE was bacterially transformed via transesterification in the presence of alcohol. We demonstrated that are transformed in the environment via more diverse ways than expected, although the environmental concentration of alcohols is very low. It would be worthwhile to perform a systematic assessment on the possibility that transesterification products may be associated with the potential adverse effects of in the environment.

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Background: It is important to understand the relative bone position of the hindfoot in order to understand planus (flat foot) pathologies as well as to make an accurate diagnosis. The three dimensional (3D) bone position is not yet completely understood. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the relative bone positions that constitute the hindfoot in the neutral position of the ankle joint in patients with normal feet and planus, using 3D computed tomography (CT) reconstruction images.
Methods: CT images were taken of 22 patients with normal feet and 29 patients with planus deformity in the neutral position, from which 3D virtual models were made of each mid-hind foot bone. The center of the tibia, the talus, the calcaneus, the navicular bone, and the first metatarsal bone were calculated. The eigenvector of the talus, the calcaneus, and the navicular bone relative to the tibia was calculated. The eigenvector of the calcaneus, the navicular bone, and the first metatarsal bone relative to the talus was also calculated. We compared the 3D relative bone positions between normal feet and planus in the neutral position.
Results: The talus in planus was more dorsiflexed relative to the tibia as well as more adducted than in the normal foot. The calcaneus was more abducted relative to the tibia as well as more everted in planus compared to the normal foot. The first metatarsal bone in planus was more dorsiflexed relative to the talus as well as more abducted than in the normal foot. The calcaneus in planus was more dorsiflexed relative to the talus, more abducted as well as more everted in comparison to the normal foot. The navicular bone in planus was more dorsiflexed relative to the talus.
Conclusions: This study allows for more information to be provided in diagnosing planus and selecting more appropriate surgical procedures.

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An organ-level assessment of the total Ca²⁺ handled in the excitation-contraction coupling in a beating heart has been accomplished in canine left ventricles (LVs). This approach combines the intramyocardial Ca²⁺ recirculation fraction (RF) with the cardiac O₂ consumption for the excitation-contraction coupling. The RF has conventionally been obtained from the exponential decay of the postextrasystolic () potentiation of myocardial contractility. However, in canine LVs, the contractility in terms of E_max (end-systolic pressure–volume ratio) has been shown to decay generally in alternans under both physiological and pathological conditions. Nevertheless, the RF can be obtained from the exponential decay component in the E_max alternans decay. We expected that the same Ca²⁺ assessment could be applied to the human heart. As the first step, we investigated whether the E_max would decay in alternans or exponentially in patient LVs. We retrospectively analyzed 13 patient cases that had stable regular beats unexpectedly interrupted by a spontaneous extrasystole followed by a compensatory pause during their diagnostic examination. These patients had either mitral regurgitation, old myocardial infarction, or dilated cardiomyopathy. Their LV E_max decayed consistently in alternans within the first several beats. These E_max alternans decays resemble those reported in canine LVs. This finding suggests for the first time the applicability of the same organ-level RF assessment method developed for canine hearts to human hearts.

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anserinus pain syndrome is a common, clinically defined condition that is characterized by pain around the medial knee and tenderness over the upper medial tibia. The anserine bursa could be the site of proliferative and inflammatory conditions due to knee osteoarthritis, leading to pain and fluid retention. However, rupture of the anserinus is rare. Herein, we present a case of rupture of the anserine bursa in a patient with anserine pain syndrome and osteoarthritis. Physicians should consider rupture of the anserine bursa as a differential diagnosis of acute unilateral lower leg swelling. J. Med. Invest. 66 : 211-212, February, 2019

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Background: The Taxus Express™ paclitaxel-eluting stent (Express-) and Taxus Liberté™ (Liberté-) have identical drugs, drug doses, and polymers, but different stent platforms. The Liberté- platform has thinner struts, specifically designed for more uniform drug elution. Methods and Results: Fifty-four patients who underwent 6-month follow-up optical coherence tomography (OCT) after Express- (n=27) or Liberté- (n=27) implantation were enrolled. Longitudinal and circumferential uniformity of neointimal distribution was evaluated in 3-D by computing mean neointimal thickness (NIT) within 360 equally spaced radial sectors for every 1-mm cross-section. After stenting, intravascular ultrasound showed that Liberté- had a significantly smaller maximum angle between adjacent struts, with a tendency toward a lower incidence of % length of the segment with maximum angle >90° than Express-. Liberté- had a significantly thinner mean NIT than the Express- with comparable frequency of uncovered struts. Longitudinal and circumferential absolute variation of NIT expressed by standard deviation of NIT from each sector was significantly smaller for Liberté- than for Express-. Liberté- had a tendency toward a decreased incidence of thrombus and peri-strut low-intensity areas (findings suggestive of delayed arterial healing), compared to Express-. Conclusions: Stent design and thickness appeared to affect neointima suppression of . The stent platform of the Liberté- may offer greater and more homogeneous reduction of neointimal proliferation spatially across the full length of the .  (Circ J 2012; 76: 1880–1888)

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DISH胸腰椎損傷に対し，椎体終板を貫通する軌道である

手技が有用であるかを調査した．軌道のPPSを用いた群と，従来の椎弓根スクリュー軌道のPPSを用いたTTS群で手術成績を比較した．Implant failureによる再手術例は群では発生がなく，TTS群で1例（8%）で発生した（p=0.57）．スクリューが緩んだ症例は，群で9例（22%），TTS群で6例（50%）であった（p=0.20）．皮質骨を貫く法は，スクリューの緩みや引き抜けが少ない傾向で，その高い固定性により骨脆弱の強い高齢者のDISH胸腰椎損傷に対し有用な可能性がある．

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Plant water content (PWC) affects growth, yields and quality of the plants. We have developed a needle-type PWC sensor with humidity sensitive polymer, polyethersulfone () membrane. When the sensor is insert into a plant, absorbs water from the plant according to its water content. The electric impedance of is determined by the amount of the absorbed water and reflects the PWC. This sensor is based on a glass tube and soaked into solution to form a film. However, this sensor is fragile for brittleness of the glass and it is difficult to layer a film thickness for pipe-formed structure. In this paper, we propose the plane-formed structure sensor based on an acrylic board. As a result of switching from, we can produce film and a base separately. We performed the performance evaluation with an old sensor and performed the fluid volume monitoring of the strawberry.

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Approximately 20% of mechanically ventilated patients experience post-extubation stridor () and reintubation, which subsequently may lead to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The risk of development is significantly higher in obese patients. Low air leakage between the endotracheal tube and the trachea, following cuff deflation, may indicate a higher risk for the development of . The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and using the cuff-leak test in patients intubated in the respiratory intensive care unit. A total of 67 consecutive intubations on 56 different ventilated patients were included in this study. The mean age was 63.6 ± 12.1 years and 84% of the patients were male. developed in seven patients (10.4%). The mean cuff-leak volume was 395 ± 187 ml in non- patients and 240 ± 93 ml in patients (p = 0.023). The mean BMI was 36 ± 13 kg/m² in patients and 24 ± 7 kg/m² in non- patients (p = 0.046). BMI > 26.5 kg/m² (OR: 1.2), low cuff-leak volume (< 283 ml) and mechanical ventilation required for more than 5 days (OR: 0.9) were independent variables for occurrence. We therefore suggest that non-obese patients, short-term intubated patients and those having a high air leakage around the endotracheal tube could be extubated without much difficulty.

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