Mitsui & Co (Japan)

本研究はアトピー性皮膚炎の犬に対し，セラミド含有保湿入浴剤とセラミド含有シャンプー剤の有用性を無作為化単盲検比較試験で検討した。症例はオクラシチニブ0.4–0.6 mg/kg，1日1回の全身投与を受けていたアトピー性皮膚炎の犬を対象とし，合計20例を無作為に入浴剤群およびシャンプー群の2群に振り分け，週に2回，4週間入浴あるいはシャンプーの介入を行った。両群で2週毎に犬アトピー性皮膚炎重症度指数（CADESI-04），痒みスコア（PVAS）を評価した。11例において2週後よりオクラシチニブの減薬を行い，試験終了時点での投薬スコア（MS）を評価した。両群のうち各6頭では2週毎に腋窩，内股，耳介における経皮水分蒸散量（TEWL）の測定を行った。試験終了後，両群ともにCADESI-04およびPVASにおいて試験開始前に対して2週後，4週後でそれぞれ有意な改善が認められた（p<0.05）。TEWLにおいて両群の一部部位で試験開始前に比較して試験終了後に有意な改善が認められた（p<0.05）。MSにおいて試験開始から2週後に対して，2週後から4週後のオクラシチニブの投薬総量の有意な減少が認められ（p<0.05），臨床症状の悪化は認められなかった。本研究の結果より，セラミド含有保湿入浴剤とセラミド含有シャンプーは，いずれも犬アトピー性皮膚炎に対する有用な支持療法となる可能性が示された。

Abstract The hot‐tack properties of ethylene‐methacrylic acid copolymers neutralized with sodium (Na) cations to produce ionomers were investigated. Specimens with neutralization degrees of 20%, 54%, and 70% were examined. After testing at low sealing temperatures (&lt;130°C), the highest hot‐tack strength was obtained from a specimen with a neutralization degree of 20%. In contrast, at high sealing temperatures (&gt;140°C), the hot‐tack strength increased with an increasing degree of neutralization. Observations of the surfaces of samples tested at low sealing temperatures after hot‐tack tests showed that specimens having a neutralization degree of 20% exhibited cohesive breakdown while the 54% and 70% specimens underwent interfacial delamination. The effect of sealing temperature on hot‐tack strength was determined by assessing the rheological properties of molten ionomers. The results suggested that, when testing at low sealing temperatures, a low melt viscosity provided high hot‐tack strength by allowing flow diffusivity of the resin at the sealed interface. At high sealing temperatures, uniaxial elongational viscosity related to strain hardening contributed to the high hot‐tack strength of these Na‐based ionomers. The present study highlights the important effect of ionic aggregates on hot‐tack properties.

Scintillators, which convert high-energy rays such as X-rays and positrons into visible and ultraviolet light, are incorporated as radiation detectors in X-ray computer tomography (X-ray CT) and positron emission tomography (PET), which system performances highly depends on the characteristics of the scintillator used. In this study, SrGa2S4:Eu/ZnO vertical nanowires (ZnO-vnws) bilayer scintillators were fabricated by electrodeposition of ZnO-vnws followed by electrophoresis deposition of SrGa2S4:Eu particles, and their structure, optical properties, and scintillator characteristics were evaluated. The ZnO-vnws were composed of vertically aligned ZnO nanowires with an excellent (001) out-of-plane orientation, and the SrGa2S4:Eu layer was composed of particles adhered to the ZnO-vnws. The SrGa2S4:Eu/ZnO-vnws bilayer scintillators emitted visible light at a wavelength of 533 nm with a lifetime of 0.389 μs and functioned as a scintillator for X-ray irradiation. The resolution and luminescence intensity of the SrGa2S4:Eu/ZnO-vnws bilayer scintillators were improved by the introduction of the ZnO-vnws layer, when compared with those of the ZnO-vnws-free-SrGa2S4:Eu layer, when the thickness ratio of SrGa2S4:Eu layer to ZnO-nws length were 1.1 ∼1.3. The SrGa2S4:Eu/ZnO-vnws bilayer scintillator revealed a spatial resolution of 6.8 μm, which was slightly larger than 5.4 μm of a ready-made LuAG single-crystal scintillator.

In this note we study analytically and numerically the existence and stability of standing waves for one dimensional nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations whose nonlinearities are the sum of three powers. Special attention is paid to the curves of non-existence and curves of stability change on the parameter planes.

Biomass char gasification is an important part of biomass conversion technology; the addition of additives can effectively change the gasification reaction rate of char. The kinetic characteristics of steam gasification reaction of biomass char particles were explored by adding CaO, Fe2O3, and Ca-Fe mixed catalyst to biomass, and the apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factors of char particles were obtained. Experimental results show that the kinetic reaction process of char steam gasification follows the shrinking cylinder model. Through linear fitting, it can be obtained that there is a good linear correlation between activation energy and pre-exponential factor, which follows the dynamic compensation effect. Under the same temperature conditions, CaO can accelerate the reaction rate of char, while Fe2O3 can delay the gasification rate of char particles because of sintering phenomenon at high temperature. The synergistic effect of Ca-Fe can reduce the total activation energy of the reaction. The addition of CaO can greatly change the kinetic performance of the Fe2O3 catalyst, inhibit the sintering deactivation reaction of Fe2O3 at high temperature, increase the diffusion path of steam, and promote the char steam gasification reaction.

We present an integrated image of the lithosphere of Alaska and its western Chukchi and Bering seas shelves based on joint modeling of potential field data constrained by thermal analysis and seismic data. We also perform 3D forward modelling and inversion of Bouguer anomalies to analyze crustal density heterogeneities. The obtained crustal model shows NW regional thickening (32 to 36 km), with localized trends of thicker crust in the Brooks Range (40 km) and in the Alaska and St. Elias ranges (50 km). Offshore, 28–30 km thick crust is obtained near the Bearing slope break and 36–38 km in the northern Chukchi Shelf. In interior Alaska, the crustal thickness changes abruptly across the Denali fault, from 34-36 to the N to above 30 km to the S, that agrees with the presence of a crustal tectonic buttress guiding block motion W and S to the subduction zone. The average crustal density is 2810 kg∙m-3. Denser crust (2910 kg∙m-3) is found S of the Denali Fault related to the oceanic nature of the Wrangellia Composite Terrane rocks. Offshore, less dense crust (< 2800 kg∙m-3) is found along the basins of the Chukchi and Beaufort shelves. At LAB levels, there is a regional SE–NW trend that coincides with the Pacific plate motion, with a lithospheric root beneath the Brooks Range, Northern Slope, and Chuckchi Sea, that may be a relic of the Chukotka-Artic Alaska microplate. The lithospheric root (> 180 km) agrees with the presence of a boundary of cold, strong lithosphere that deflects the strain to the south. South of the Denali Fault the LAB topography is quite complex. East of 150 °W, below Wrangellia and the eastern side of Chugach terranes, the LAB is much shallower than it is west of this meridian. The NW trending limit separating thinner lithosphere in the East and thicker in the West agrees with the two–tiered slab shape of the subducting Pacific Plate. This research has been funded by the We–Me project (PIE–CSIC–201330E111), AGUR 2017–SGR–847, Alpimed (PIE-CSIC-201530E082), Subtetis (PIE-CSIC-201830E039) and funds from the University of Houston. This is a contribution within the PolarCSIC platform. Ref: M. Torne, I. Jiménez–Munt, J. Vergés, M. Fernàndez, A. Carballo, M. Jadamec. Geophysical Journal International, Volume 220, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 522–540, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggz424.

For the accurate evaluation of the ship performance in actual seas, the relationship among the ship speed, the engine revolution and the engine power in calm seas is important. One method to obtain the relationship is to use the onboard monitoring data. The approximate curve is obtained by the least-square method. In this method, it is important that the number of the data is enough in the appropriate range of the engine revolution or the ship speed. However in the case of a bulk carrier, the range of the engine revolution and the ship speed is narrow in one voyage. In this paper, a new numerical model is applied to a bulk carrier in service. The data is filtered by the wind speed, the significant wave height, the difference between the ship speed through the water and over ground and the rudder angle. Moreover the corrections for the external force and the combination of the data of each voyage are carried out. The approximate curve is obtained in a numerical expression using parameters “an”, “bn”, “cn” and “dnv”, and the displacement correction model is obtained. The difference between the simulation and the monitoring data of the ship speed and the fuel oil consumption is within 2%.

Urban parks are one of the large infrastructures that enhance quality of life in a metropolis. It is therefore important to maintain a record of soil history, including the development and alteration of land in urban areas. Three historical urban parks were surveyed to obtain information of the land use history. The Institute for Nature Study, designated as a national monument and historical landmark in 1949, is a particularly important site for the study of pedogenesis in urban green spaces. As compared to a reference site, “the Meiji Shrine”, past construction activities, production of artifacts, and land cutting and banking resulted in a disruption of natural soil horizons. Horizon sequences were relatively similar among sites on earthworks but not on terrace surfaces, reflecting the high frequency of change in land use on these areas. Accumulation of total organic carbon decreased with increasing soil depth probably due to forest regeneration. Non-crystalline components increased with increasing soil depth mainly as a result of leaching of non-crystalline components by complexation with soil organic matter under forest vegetation. δ13C values of soil increased with increasing soil depth reflecting vegetation succession. The δ13C values of soil were significantly negatively correlated with a color index of extracted organic matter, indicating that C4 plants have contributed to accumulated carbon, mainly after episodes of fire. Shinjuku-Gyoen site has experienced changes in its land use history during the past four centuries. There were several drastic differences in general soil properties with depth. These soil characteristics reveal signatures of anthropogenic impact such as banking and cutting in the soil profiles. Short and frequent complex anthropogenic alterations were observed in the historical park. High variability of soil properties in the Shinjuku Gyoen site indicates high frequency of land use changes within its history. In the Kitanomaru Garden connected to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, three large-scale constructions were performed from the Edo era (1603–1868) to the present. Soils in Kitanomaru Garden are classified as Urbic Technosols, and feature artifacts such as bricks, tiles, concrete, or potteries originating from buildings from the past 400 years. Soils in Kitanomaru Park had a higher soil pH, lower total carbon content and relatively high cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared with natural volcanic ash soils. Moreover, the vertical distribution of soil compactness was characterized by disorders of the compaction layers or having a consolidated layer within 1 m deep. The spatial distribution of the soils having non-intrusive and densely-compacted layers correspondences with the restoration position of a building and land-grading works.