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Free-cutting brass contains 3% lead to obtain excellent machinability, but because lead is harmful to the human body, lead regulations are being tightened in Europe, starting with the 2010 and 2014 lead control laws for drinking water-related equipment in the United States, and including RoHS regulations, ELV regulations, and the 4MS Positive List. Being affected by these increasingly strict lead regulations in Europe and the United States, demand for brass with significantly reduced lead content is on the rise. In order to meet the needs of the times, the authors have developed the world's first lead-free, free-cutting α + β brass "62.5Cu-1Si-Zn alloy" with a lead content of less than 0.1%. As a result of investigating the machinability of this alloy by comparing it with CW510L, it was demonstrated that the quality of machined products made of the 62.5Cu-1Si-Zn alloy is good due to reduced cutting resistance realized by shear type chips that can be generated by the action of Si solid-solubilized in the β-phase, the presence of fine P compounds, and the effect of fine α-crystal grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for lead-free, free-cutting brass is increasing in response to lead regulations in Europe. The authors of this paper have attempted to develop a lead-free brass with an α + β two-phase microstructure, which is different from existing C6932 alloy. As a result of basic investigations, it was found that the addition of Si to β-brass dramatically reduces the cutting resistance due to an effect that appears to be a reduction in the stacking defect fault energy, and that if phosphorus compounds are dispersed in such β-brass, the compounds make stress concentration sources improving chip fragmentation during cutting. Based on these findings, we have succeeded in developing a new freecutting α + β brass (62.5-Cu1Si-0.07P-Zn). The developed alloy contains about 55% alpha phase and has excellent machinability and 1.3 times higher strength than C3604. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hippo signaling is modulated in response to cell density, external mechanical forces, and rigidity of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The Mps one binder kinase activator (MOB) adaptor proteins are core components of Hippo signaling and influence Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), which are potent transcriptional regulators. YAP1/TAZ are key contributors to cartilage and bone development but the molecular mechanisms by which the Hippo pathway controls chondrogenesis are largely unknown. Cartilage is rich in ECM and also subject to strong external forces - two upstream factors regulating Hippo signaling. Chondrogenesis and endochondral ossification are tightly controlled by growth factors, morphogens, hormones, and transcriptional factors that engage in crosstalk with Hippo-YAP1/TAZ signaling. Here, we generated tamoxifen-inducible, chondrocyte-specific Mob1a/b-deficient mice and show that hyperactivation of endogenous YAP1/TAZ impairs chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation/maturation, leading to chondrodysplasia. These defects were linked to suppression of SOX9, a master regulator of chondrogenesis, the expression of which is mediated by TEAD transcription factors. Our data indicate that a MOB1-dependent YAP1/TAZ-TEAD complex functions as a transcriptional repressor of SOX9 and thereby negatively regulates chondrogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hippo signalling pathway monitors cell-cell contact and external factors that shape tissue structure. In mice, tumourigenesis and developmental abnormalities are common consequences of dysregulated Hippo signalling. Expression of Hippo pathway components is also frequently altered in human tumours and correlates with poor prognosis and reduced patient survival. Thus, the Hippo pathway is an attractive anti-cancer target. Here, we provide an overview of the function and regulation of Hippo signalling components and summarize progress to date on the development of agents able to regulate Hippo signalling for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate 4f electronic states in HoFe2Al10 under an orthorhombic crystal electric field (CEF), we measured the specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, and elastic modulus of single-crystalline samples. We found elastic softening of the transverse elastic moduli C55 and C66 below 20 and 130 K, respectively. With further decreasing temperature, C66 shows further elastic softening below 5K. We observed two Schottky peaks in the specific heat at 2.2 and 20K and small anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization in the paramagnetic region. By analyzing these experimental data, we obtained the CEF parameters of HoFe2Al10. From the analysis, we clarified that the softening of C55 and C66 originates from indirect quadrupole interactions of Ozx and Oxy, and propose that the overall CEF splitting is about 85 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate a field-induced level crossing of the ground-state doublet in PrTr2Zn20 (Tr = Rh, Ir), we performed ultrasonic measurements in pulsed magnetic fields applied along the [110], we observed an elastic softening of the transverse modulus (C11 - C12)=2 corresponding to the ground-state doublet. In both compounds the softening is followed by a minimum at about 47 T at low temperatures. We predict the presence of a new field-induced phase boundary in PrTr2Zn20 at this field with two possible cases. The magnetic field of the minimum cannot be explained by only the quadrupole interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bivalve molluscs have flourished in marine environments, and many species constitute important aquatic resources. Recently, whole genome sequences from two bivalves, the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, and the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, have been decoded, making it possible to compare genomic sequences among molluscs, and to explore general and lineage-specific genetic features and trends in bivalves. In order to improve the quality of sequence data for these purposes, we have updated the entire P. fucata genome assembly. Results: We present a new genome assembly of the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata (version 2.0). To update the assembly, we conducted additional sequencing, obtaining accumulated sequence data amounting to 193? the P. fucata genome. Sequence redundancy in contigs that was caused by heterozygosity was removed in silico, which significantly improved subsequent scaffolding. Gene model version 2.0 was generated with the aid of manual gene annotations supplied by the P. fucata research community. Comparison of mollusc and other bilaterian genomes shows that gene arrangements of Hox, ParaHox, and Wnt clusters in the P. fucata genome are similar to those of other molluscs. Like the Pacific oyster, P. fucata possesses many genes involved in environmental responses and in immune defense. Phylogenetic analyses of heat shock protein70 and C1q domain-containing protein families indicate that extensive expansion of genes occurred independently in each lineage. Several gene duplication events prior to the split between the pearl oyster and the Pacific oyster are also evident. In addition, a number of tandem duplications of genes that encode shell matrix proteins are also well characterized in the P. fucata genome. Conclusions: Both the Pinctada and Crassostrea lineages have expanded specific gene families in a lineage-specific manner. Frequent duplication of genes responsible for shell formation in the P. fucata genome explains the diversity of mollusc shell structures. These duplications reveal dynamic genome evolution to forge the complex physiology that enables bivalves to employ a sessile lifestyle in the intertidal zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of uniaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure on Y0.98Ca0.02Ba2Cu4O8 [called Y0.98(Ca0.02)-124] are investigated via AC magnetic measurements under stress corresponding to a pressure of (at most) 20 GPa. Hydrostatic contraction results in the largest enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc), whose maximum is 99 K, which is slightly lower than the maximum Tc achieved in YBa2Cu4O8 (called Y-124). The Meissner signal disappears at a hydrostatic pressure of approximately 15 GPa. This pressure region representing the Meissner signal is reduced by the out-of-plane contraction (along the c-axis), whereas it is increased by the in-plane contraction (along the c-plane). In the case of Y-124, both uniaxial contractions result in the disappearance of the Meissner signal at approximately 10 GPa prior to reaching the overdoped region. However, by doping Ca into the Y-site, we could investigate uniaxial strain effects characteristic of the so-called 124 structure without causing the stress-induced structural transition through the underdoped, optimally doped, and overdoped regions. Except for the uniaxial contraction along the b-axis, the other contractions (i.e., hydrostatic contraction, and uniaxial contractions along the a- and the c-axes) exhibit consistent compression effects when Tc is normalized by the highest Tc and the stress is normalized by the stress realizing its highest Tc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mps One Binder Kinase Activator (MOB)1A/1B are core components of the Hippo pathway that coactivate large tumor suppressor homolog (LATS) kinases. Mob1a/1b double deficiency in mouse liver (LMob1DKO) results in hyperplasia of oval cells and immature cholangiocytes accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis. More than half of mutant mice die within 3 wk of birth. All survivors eventually develop liver cancers, particularly combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinomas (cHC-CCs) and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (ICCs), and die by age 60 wk. Because this phenotype is the most severe among mutant mice lacking a Hippo signaling component, MOB1A/1B constitute the critical hub of Hippo signaling in mammalian liver. LMob1DKO liver cells show hyperproliferation, increased cell saturation density, hepatocyte dedifferentiation, enhanced epithelial--mesenchymal transition and cell migration, and elevated transforming growth factor beta(TGF-β)2/3 production. These changes are strongly dependent on Yes-Associated Protein-1 (Yap1) and partially dependent on PDZ-binding motif (Taz) and Tgfbr2, but independent of connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf). In human liver cancers, YAP1 activation is frequent in cHC-CCs and ICCs and correlates with SMAD family member 2 activation. Drug screening revealed that antiparasitic macrocyclic lactones inhibit YAP1 activation in vitro and in vivo. Targeting YAP1/TAZ with these drugs in combination with inhibition of the TGF-β pathway may be effective treatment for cHC-CCs and ICCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

YbPtGe with the orthorhombic ε-TiNiSi-type structure is reported as a heavy-fermion ferromagnet with the magnetic transition temperature TC = 5.4 K. Recent research suggested that its magnetic anisotropy can be ascribed to the crystal electric field (CEF) effect. In order to clarify the CEF effect and to investigate the magnetic phase transition in this compound, ultrasonic measurements of YbPtGe and related theoretical calculation have been performed. The transverse elastic moduli C44, C55, and C66 exhibit a softening characteristic with a peak around 150K while the longitudinal moduli C11, C22, and C33 show a continuous hardening in the temperature (T) range above TC. Theoretical strainsusceptibility fitting indicates that the softening results from a quadrupole interaction between the ground and excited Kramers doublets of CEF. For the elastic moduli below TC, abrupt elastic hardening is observed in C22, C33, and C55 while C11, C44, and C66 exhibit a step-like softening. The difference between the softening and hardening of elastic moduli below TC may be due to the magnetostriction or a different dominant coupling between a strain and an order parameter. Phase diagram with a magnetic field (H) parallel to the a-axis is obtained by the measurements of the T and H dependences of the elastic modulus C11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the crystal electric field effect and antiferromagnetic transitions at 2.4 and 1.4 K, we carried out ultrasonic measurements on the Yb-based heavy-fermion antiferromagnet YbIrGe. We found characteristic softening of the elastic moduli originating from a quadrupole interaction. By theoretical analyses of the transverse elastic moduli, the magnetic susceptibility, and the Schottky specific heat between 10 and 300 K, we determined the crystal electric field: the ground doublet and an excited doublet separated by 138 K. The moduli exhibit elastic hardening below both 2.4 and 1.4 K, suggesting a strong coupling between a strain and magnetic order parameters. We estimated the strain dependence of the transition temperature at 2.4K along the a- and c-axes from the Ehrenfest relation for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the crystal electric field effect and antiferromagnetic transitions at 2.4 and 1.4 K, we carried out ultrasonic measurements on the Yb-based heavy-fermion antiferromagnet YbIrGe. We found characteristic softening of the elastic moduli originating from a quadrupole interaction. By theoretical analyses of the transverse elastic moduli, the magnetic susceptibility, and the Schottky specific heat between 10 and 300 K, we determined the crystal electric field: the ground doublet and an excited doublet separated by 138 K. The moduli exhibit elastic hardening below both 2.4 and 1.4 K, suggesting a strong coupling between a strain and magnetic order parameters. We estimated the strain dependence of the transition temperature at 2.4K along the a- and c-axes from the Ehrenfest relation for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]