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Background. We recently demonstrated that proliferin-1 (PLF-1) functions as an apoptotic cell-derived growth factor and plays an important role in vascular pathobiology. We therefore investigated its role in muscle regeneration in response to cardiotoxin injury. Methods and Results. To determine the effects of PLF-1 on muscle regeneration, we used a CTX-induced skeletal muscle injury model in 9-week-old male mice that were administered with the recombinant PLF-1 (rPLF-1) or neutralizing PLF-1 antibody. The injured muscles exhibited increased levels of PLF-1 gene expression in a time-dependent manner. On day 14 after injury, rPLF-1 supplementation ameliorated CTX-induced alterations in muscle fiber size, interstitial fibrosis, muscle regeneration capacity, and muscle performance. On day 3 postinjury, rPLF-1 increased the levels of proteins or genes for p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-GSK3α/β, p-Erk1/2, p-p38MAPK, interleukin-10, Pax7, MyoD, and Cyclin B1, and it increased the numbers of CD34+/integrin-α7+ muscle stem cells and proliferating cells in the muscles and/or bone marrow of CTX mice. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that rPLF-1 suppressed the levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β in CTX mice. PLF-1 blocking accelerated CTX-related muscle damage and dysfunction. In C2C12 myoblasts, rPLF-1 increased the levels of proteins for p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-GSK3α/β, p-Erk1/2, and p-p38MAPK as well as cellular functions; and these effects were diminished by the depletion of PLF-1 or silencing of its mannose-6-phosphate receptor. Conclusions. These findings demonstrated that PLF-1 can improve skeletal muscle repair in response to injury, possibly via the modulation of inflammation and proliferation and regeneration, suggesting a novel therapeutic strategy for the management of skeletal muscle diseases.

The typical macroscopic appearance of gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma (FL) are multiple white granules or small white polyps, called multiple lymphomatous polyposis type, and subsequent mass lesions with or without ulceration; however, an ulcer type with a stricture is extremely rare. We report a case of a 79-year-old male with severe jejunal stricture due to FL with an uncommon chromosomal translocation t(2;18)(p12;q21). The patient was treated with jejunectomy subsequent rituximab monotherapy with a favorable response. The presence of the stricture made its endoscopic diagnosis confusing; however, it was certainly accompanied by the distinctive white granules on the surface of the tumor as seen in typical FL. With the possibility of an FL with stricture in mind, it is important to collect subtle endoscopic findings of the surrounding mucosa carefully, in order to arrive at an accurate endoscopic diagnosis and eventually to the proper therapeutic option.

Limited data exist on the prevalence and prognosis of isolated posterior ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), revealed with a posterior chest lead. Furthermore, the utility of a synthesized-V7-9 lead in the diagnosis of STEMI is unclear; therefore, we aimed to evaluate its usefulness. We enrolled 142 consecutive patients with STEMI with the culprit lesion on the left circumflex artery (STEMI-LCx) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between January 2009 and December 2019. We retrospectively checked the ST-segment change of both standard 12-lead and synthesized-V7-9 lead in all patients with STEMI-LCx. Based on electrocardiogram (ECG) findings, isolated posterior STEMI that was only revealed in synthesized-V7-9 lead was classified as "STEMI-LCx-synV7-9" and the remaining as "STEMI-LCx-12ECG." The prevalence of STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 in patients with STEMI-LCx was assessed. The incidence of all-cause death, cardiac death, and mechanical complications within 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year was also assessed according to each STEMI-LCx. STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 and STEMI-LCx-12ECG occurred in 10 (7.0%) and 132 (93.0%) patients, respectively. No significant difference was found in patients' characteristics between the two groups. The patients with STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 had significantly higher incidences of cardiac death within 3 months and 1 year (30.0% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.031, 30.0% vs. 7.6%, P = 0.050, respectively) and mechanical complications in each follow-up period (20.0% vs. 1.5%, P = 0.025) than those with STEMI-LCx-12ECG. STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 was observed in 7.0% of the patients with STEMI-LCx. Our findings suggest that the synthesized-V7-9 lead helps diagnose isolated posterior STEMI and might improve prognosis in patients with STEMI-LCx.

Low body mass index (BMI) is a predictor of adverse events in patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Western countries. Because the average BMI of Asians is significantly lower than that of the Western population, the appropriate cut-off BMI value and its role in long-term mortality are unclear in Asian patients. Between January 2006 and December 2017, 1215 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute STEMI and were alive at discharge (mean age, 67.7 years; male, 75.4%) were evaluated. The cut-off BMI value, which could predict all-cause mortality within 10 years, was detected using a survival classification and regression tree (CART) model. The causes of death according to the BMI value were evaluated in each group. Based on the CART model, the patients were divided into three groups (BMI 20 kg/m2: 1052 patients). The BMI decreased with age; with an increased BMI, patients with dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking habit increased. During the study period (median, 4.9 years), 194 patients (26.8%) died (cardiac death, 59 patients; non-cardiac death, 135 patients). All-cause mortality was more frequent as the BMI decreased (BMI 20 kg/m2; 22.8%; log-rank p

Virtually every enterprise network has deployed intrusion detection systems (NIDSes) for security threats detection, prevention, and response. To defend against cyberattacks with increasing diversity and intensity, there is a pressing need to implement artificial intelligence (AI)-powered NIDS system which can unify the strength of existing solutions. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of leveraging existing security solutions to generate labeled datasets that can facilitate the development of such an advanced AI-powered NIDS. Assigning proper labels to communication sessions that are detected as suspicious by NIDSes are carried out in the following steps. First, from the captured packet file, we locate the communication sessions that trigger the detection rules of deployed NIDSes. Second, for each located communication session, we investigate the causal factors in the session packets and assign a unified alert-type label to it by taking account of information presented in multiple NIDS alerts associated with it. Finally, we output the packet data of the investigated communication sessions and their corresponding alert-type labels, which will be taken as input by AI-powered analysis engines. We demonstrate case studies to apply the proposed method to solve tasks such as creating labeled NIDS datasets, performance evaluation between different NIDSes, and automation of the security triage process.

Background Although short-term mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has improved, data is limited regarding very long-term mortality and concomitant clinical events in STEMI survivors who undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI). This study aimed to evaluate these parameters at 15 years and to determine the predictors of 15-year mortality in these patients. Methods The study endpoints were all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality at 15 years. Independent predictors of all-cause mortality were also analyzed. Furthermore, each thrombotic and bleeding event was evaluated. Results Between January 2004 and December 2006, 260 STEMI survivors who underwent p-PCI (median follow-up period: 3970 days) were evaluated from the Ogaki Municipal hospital registry. The rates of all-cause mortality (cardiac mortality) at 5, 10, and 15 years were 12.1% (4.9%), 23.4% (9.5%), and 34.9% (12.4%), respectively. The cumulative incidences of recurrent myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization , ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic bleeding, and gastric bleeding at 15 years were 11.3%, 43.6%, 14.3%, 6.9%, and 10.9%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that age ≥ 75 years [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 7.074, p kidney disease (aHR, 2.320, p = 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction Killip class ≥II at admission (aHR, 2.639, p = 0.003), untreated chronic total occlusion (aHR, 2.090, p = 0.042), and final TIMI grade ≤ 2 (aHR, 1.736, p = 0.048) were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Conclusion This study demonstrated that all-cause and cardiac mortality at 15 years were 34.9% and 12.4%, respectively, in all-comers STEMI survivors after p-PCI, indicating that STEMI survivors might have a benign prognosis.

Objective The popularity of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has increased over the past decades. Despite improvements in in-hospital mortality rates, it is clinically important to investigate the prognoses after discharge. However, data on the mode of death and prognostic factors are limited. We analyzed these factors in a Japanese cohort in the modern p-PCI era. Methods Between January 2004 and December 2017, a total of 1,222 patients who underwent p-PCI within 24 hours from the onset of STEMI and were alive at discharge (mean age, 67.7 years old; men, 75.5%), were evaluated. The two-year mortality was analyzed using a Cox regression model, and the mode of death was evaluated. Results The rate of mortality at 2 years was 5.7%. Non-cardiac death was more frequent than cardiac death (62.6% vs. 37.4%). A Cox multivariate analysis identified the following as independent predictors of the 2-year mortality: hemoglobin (log-transformed) [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.048; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.008-0.29; p

Knowledge of the long-term prognosis (10 years) and mortality predictors of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who have undergone primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) is scarce. Therefore, this study evaluated the long-term prognosis and determined the predictors of long-term outcomes for STEMI patients after p-PCI. Between January, 2006 and December, 2010, we collected data and analyzed 459 consecutive patients with acute STEMI who underwent p-PCI and were discharged from the hospital (mean age, 66.8 years; male, 75.2%; peak creatine phosphokinase level, 2,292.5 IU/L). The primary endpoint was 10-year all-cause mortality. The cumulative 10-year incidence of all-cause death was 23.8%. The Cox multivariate regression analysis identified age ≥ 65 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], p0.001), body mass index (aHR, 0.93, p = 0.033), presence of atrial fibrillation (aHR, 1.69, p = 0.038), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use (aHR, 1.95, p = 0.008), ejection fraction40% (aHR, 2.14, p = 0.005), and albumin3.5 g/dL (aHR, 2.01, p = 0.005) as independent predictors of all-cause mortality. In conclusion, a post-discharge 10-year survival rate of 76.2% was identified for STEMI patients who underwent p-PCI.

Authors have proposed a novel drive circuit for SR motor expanding operating area under limited source voltage adding external capacitor in series to extend source voltage. However, capacitance of the external capacitor enough to extend the driving range of the SR motor has not been optimized. Therefore, this paper discusses selecting scheme of the capacitance from the inductance and the winding current at the start of demagnetization.

Objective To clarify the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Japan. Background Data regarding the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after STEMI are limited in the p-PCI era. Methods Between January-2004 and December-2018, 1735 patients with STEMI (mean age, 68.5 years; female, 24.6%) who presented to the hospital in the 24-hours after symptom onset and underwent p-PCI were evaluated using the disease registries. The registry is an ongoing, retrospective, single-center hospital-based registry. Results The 30-day mortality rate and in-hospital mortality rate were 7.7% and 9.2%, respectively. Independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were ejection fraction (EF) < 40% [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR), 4.446, p < 0.001], culprit lesions in the left coronary artery (LCA) (aOR, 2.940, p < 0.001) compared with those in the right coronary artery, Killip class > II (aOR, 7.438; p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (aOR, 4.056; p < 0.001), final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grades 0/1/2 (aOR, 1.809; p = 0.03), absence of robust collaterals (aOR, 17.309; p = 0.01) and hypertension (aOR, 0.449; p = 0.01). Conclusions Among the consecutive patients with STEMI, the in-hospital mortality rate after p-PCI significantly improved in the second half. Not only CKD, Killip class > II, and EF < 40%, but also the angiographic findings such as culprit lesions in the LCA, absence of very robust collaterals, and final TIMI grades

SUMMARY Switched reluctance (SR) motors are motors that utilize the reluctance torque originating in the magnetic saliency between the stator and the rotor, which are made up of an electromagnetic steel sheet and windings without a permanent magnet. Because of their robustness and simple structure, SR motors are suited for use as the in-wheel motor for traction motors of vehicles. In a flat space such as is present in in-wheel motors, the axial-gap structure has an advantage compared with the conventional radial-gap structure for the space factor of a motor. An axial-gap in-wheel SR motor was tested in a microbus, and the bus could be successfully driven. The test results regarding the motor performance were satisfactory. However, the motor emits a loud sound. The acoustic noise of the axial-gap SR motor is mainly caused by the axial electromagnetic force. This paper presents a method of reducing acoustic noise that is based on a model of the electromagnetic force on the axial-gap SR motor.

Severe immunodeficient mice have become invaluable tools in human stem cell and tumor research. In this study, we compared the phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages against primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) among Rag-2/Jak3 double-deficient (Rag-2(-/-)Jak3(-/-)) mice with NOD and non-NOD (Balb/c and C57/BL6). We also evaluated lymphomatous effusion and infiltration in a PEL xenograft mouse model using these severe immunodeficient mice. In the phagocytic assay, peritoneal macrophages in the NOD background phagocytosed CFSE-labeled BCBL-1, a PEL cell line, less efficiently than those in the non-NOD background. BCBL-1 cells were successfully engrafted into both the NOD background and non-NOD background; however, the volume of ascites of the NOD background was significantly higher than that of the non-NOD background. Moreover, the organ invasion of PEL cells was suppressed in non-NOD background mice. Thus, the NOD genetic background is considered to contribute to more lymphomatous effusion and the infiltration of PEL cells than a non-NOD background. Our results showed that the NOD background allowed more lymphomatous effusion and infiltration than other backgrounds and peritoneal macrophages played a critical role in preventing the growth and infiltration of PEL cells.

Human activity recognition is an important area for various applications. Sensor-based activity recognition deteriorates while partial data are lost. Hence, in this paper, we study activity recognition in the presence of data loss. Earlier, we explored sensor-based activity recognition where we train the data with randomly missed data. It is required to investigate better features for handling missing data. Here, we evaluate activity performance result with missing data environment with various feature combinations for multiple classifiers. Initially, we developed a simulated environment to study the impact of features. Afterward, we evaluated our proposed feature-based method on a benchmark dataset named HASC dataset. The dataset has no missing data. However, to evaluate our approach, we added various levels of missing data randomly and studied the performances. We explored mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis as statistical features based on a time-windowing approach. For classification study, we exploited two classifiers called Naive Bayes and Random Forest. Our approach and study demonstrated satisfactory recognition results under various feature combinations in different situations of missing data.

Background The mechanism by which angiogenesis declines with aging remains largely unknown. Given that the plasma levels of adiponectin (APN) are decreased in the presence of ischemic cardiovascular disease, we explore the possible mechanisms by which APN/adiponectin receptor1 (AdipoR1) axis inactivation contributes to the decline in vascular regeneration capacity in elderly animals. Methods and results To study aging-related changes in the APN/AdipoR1 axis and its impact on ischemia-induced angiogenesis, a hindlimb ischemia model was applied to young and aged mice. Aging impaired ischemia-induced blood flow recovery. An ELISA showed that the aged mice had decreased plasma APN levels. Immunostaining showed lesser capillary formation in the aged mice. The aged ischemic muscles had decreased levels of AdipoR1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), PPAR-γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α), phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase α (p-AMPK-α), and B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and increased levels of cleaved caspase-8 (C-caspase-8) and gp91phox/p22phox genes or/and proteins, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity, superoxide production, and matrix metalloproteinase-2/−9 activity as well as increased numbers of infiltrated macrophages and leucocytes. In in vitro experiments, aged endothelial cells had negative changes in the levels of PPAR-γ, PGC-1α, p-AMPK-α, Bcl-2, and C-caspase-8 proteins in response to oxidative stress. Genetic interventions targeted toward APN and AdipoR1 negatively affected the targeted angiogenic protein levels in aged muscles and angiogenic actions and/or aged endothelial events. Conclusion These findings indicate that aging can reduce angiogenesis in response to hypoxia via an impaired APN-AdipoR1-dependent mechanism that may be mediated by PPAR-γ/PGC-1α signaling inactivation in advanced age.

This paper addresses experimental and numerical validation of power output efficiency about an approximate complex-conjugate control with considering the copper loss (ACL) method. A bottom-fixed point absorber type wave energy convertor (WEC) model was used for the experiments carried out at National Maritime Research Institute, Japan (NMRI). In order to model a power take-off (PTO) system constructed by a permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG), a liner shaft motor (LSM) was used for the model test. To investigate characteristics of the ACL method, the resistive load control (RLC) method and approximate complex-conjugate control (ACC) method were also tested by the WEC model. A simulation code based on WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter SIMulator) v2.0 written by MATLAB/Simulink, which is developed by collaboration works between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), was used for the validation. The simulated results in regular waves have good agreement with measured ones in terms of the float heave motion, the vertical force and the control input force. Through the experiments and numerical simulations in regular waves, the ACL method has advantages in high power production compared with the RLC and the ACC methods for the WEC model. In addition, the power output characteristics of the ACL method in irregular waves were checked experimentally and numerically.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that shows malignant effusion most commonly seen in advanced AIDS patients. In this study, we clarified the potential role of VEGF and IL-6 in PEL fluid retention and evaluated the efficacy of humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody (mAb), bevacizumab, and humanized anti-IL-6 receptor mAb, tocilizumab, against PEL. The production of VEGF and IL-6, and the expression of IL-6Rα in PEL cell lines were examined. The antiproliferative effect of bevacizumab and tocilizumab on PEL cells was evaluated in vitro. The effect of tocilizumab on VEGF was also examined. An intraperitoneal xenograft mouse model was used for in vivo efficacy. Although we found the production of VEGF and IL-6, and the expression of IL-6Rα in PEL cell lines, bevacizumab and tocilizumab did not inhibit the proliferation of PEL cells in vitro. Tocilizumab decreased VEGF mRNA and VEGF production by inhibiting Stat3 phosphorylation and Stat3 binding to VEGF promoter. In a PEL xenograft mouse model that showed profuse ascites, bevacizumab suppressed ascites formation completely, indicating the critical role of VEGF for PEL fluid retention. Tocilizumab also significantly inhibited ascites formation in vivo. Moreover, these mAbs improved the overall survival of treated mice. IL-6-VEGF axis contributed to fluid retention, and bevacizumab and tocilizumab could be effective molecular targeting therapies for PEL.

Introduction The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed first responders to high levels of aerosolized carcinogens (Lioy et. al. Env. Health Perspect 2002). Clonal hematopoiesis is associated with exposure to smoking and genotoxic stimuli (Jaiswal et. al. NEJM 2014; Genovese et. al. NEJM 2015). We sought to determine its incidence in WTC-exposed first responders. We also assessed the effect of WTC particulate matter (WTC-PM) on genome integrity in vitro, and in murine studies. Methods Deep targeted sequencing was performed on blood collected from 481 first responders (429 WTC-exposed firefighters, 52 WTC-exposed emergency medical service workers) and 52 non-exposed first responders. Samples were analyzed for 237 genes mutated in hematologic malignancies and interpreted using reference databases. Non synonymous somatic mutations were annotated and analyzed. Results In the WTC-exposed cohort, 57 individuals with 66 somatic mutations of expected pathogenic potential were identified (overall prevalence 11.9%). In the non-exposed cohort, only one pathogenic mutation was found in the IDH2 gene (overall prevalence 1.9%). There was a strong association between increasing age and prevalence of mutations in the WTC-exposed cohort (Fig 1A). DNMT3A (16/66), TET2 (7/66), SF3B1 and SRSF2 (3/66 each) were the most common genes identified in the WTC-exposed cohort (Fig 1B). Median VAF was 12% and missense mutations were most frequent alteration. Aging, smoking, DNA repair and alkylating agent exposure related mutational signatures were observed with a cytosine to thymine (C→T) transition being most common. Next, we assessed the effect of WTC-PM on genome integrity and replication in vitro. WTC-PM that was collected in the first three days after 9/11 was used in concentrations mimicking exposure levels. Lymphocytes exposed to WTC-PM demonstrated a significant increase in phosphorylated H2AX foci accumulation, suggesting a DNA damage response (Fig 2). Since common fragile sites (CFSs) detect basal levels of stress in the cell, and activate DNA damage response (DDR), we profiled DNA replication dynamics at CFS-FRA16D at very high resolution using the single molecule analysis of replicated DNA (SMARD) assay. Treatment with WTC-PM significantly altered replication at two common fragile sites (regions 1 and 2 of FRA16D, Fig 3A) with replication pausing being observed at multiple sites (Fig 3B-I, white rectangles). Striking increase in replication initiation was seen, characterized as dormant origins activated to rescue replication pausing (Fig 3E, J). These alterations were accompanied by a corresponding increase in replication speed, conditions that lead to DNA replication errors and mutagenesis (Fig 3F, K). Next, we treated mice with WTC-PM via the oropharyngeal route to mimic first responder exposures, and then harvested and analyzed their bone marrow compartments. Significant expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (Kit+, Sca1+, Lineage-ve, KSL) was seen in WTC-PM treated mice (Fig 4A,B). Whole genome sequencing of sorted stem cells showed a significant increase in non-synonymous SNPs, deletions and indels in the WTC-PM treated samples when compared to control (Fig 4C-E). These genomic alterations were found to occur at low VAF throughout the whole genome, demonstrating widespread genotoxic effects of WTC-PM on hematopoietic stem cells in vivo (Fig 4F). Discussion We report a high burden of mutations in 11.9% (57/481) WTC-exposed first responders compared to the non-exposed cohort (1.9%, 1/52). The frequency of the somatic mutations was many fold higher than in previous studies (Jaiswal et. al. NEJM 2014; Genovese et. al. NEJM, 2015). In the 50-59 year age group, 10% of WTC-exposed individuals carried somatic mutations, compared to the frequency of 2.5% reported by Jaiswal et. al. for the same age group. Despite deeper sequencing performed in our study, the median VAF in our study was 12%, indicating that the difference in technique did not bias our study towards increased detection of small, subclinical clones when compared to previous studies. Furthermore, we demonstrate that WTC-PM can perturb DNA replication and increased genomic instability in vivo, potentially leading to higher burden of clonal hematopoiesis in WTC-exposed first responders. These results demonstrate adverse environmental exposures can be associated with a high rate of clonal hematopoiesis. Disclosures Landgren: Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Other: IDMC; Theradex: Other: IDMC; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Fletcher:Genoptix/Neogenomics: Employment. Ebert:Broad Institute: Other: Contributor to a patent filing on this technology that is held by the Broad Institute.; Celgene: Research Funding; Deerfield: Research Funding. Steidl:GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Aileron Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Stelexis Therapeutics: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Scientific Co-Founder; Pieries Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; BayerHealthcare: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding. Will:Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Verma:Stelexis: Equity Ownership, Honoraria; Acceleron: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; BMS: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare and aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that usually presents with malignant effusions without tumor masses. An extracavitary or solid variant of PEL has also been described. Human herpes virus 8/Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus (HHV-8/KSHV) is universally associated with the pathogenesis of PEL. More than 70% of cases occur with concurrent Epstein-Barr virus infection, but its relation to the pathogenesis is unknown. Patients are found in the context of immunosuppressive states (HIV-1 infection, post-organ transplantation). PEL is usually treated with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone)-like chemotherapy with antiretroviral therapy if HIV-1 is positive. However, it is generally resistant to chemotherapy with a short median survival of less than 6 months. The optimal treatment for PEL has not been established yet. More intensive chemotherapy, such as dose-adjusted EPOCH (DA-EPOCH; etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin) and CDE (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide) are expected to show a favorable prognosis. Recently, the molecular steps in KSHV/HHV-8-driven oncogenesis have begun to be revealed, and molecular targeting therapies such as proteasome, NF-κB, cytokines and surface antigens would provide evidence for their clinical use.

HIV protease inhibitor (PI)-induced ER stress has been associated with adverse effects. Although it is a serious clinical problem for HIV/AIDS patients, comparative analyses of ER stress induction by clinically used PIs have rarely been done. Especially, there is no report on the differential ER stress response between lopinavir (LPV) and darunavir (DRV), although these PIs are the most clinically used PIs. We show here that LPV induces the most potent CHOP expression, ER stress marker, among the 9 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved PIs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, several human epithelial cells, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. LPV induced the most potent ROS production and JNK activation in 9 PIs. A comparison among the most clinically used PIs, ritonavir (RTV), LPV, and DRV, revealed that LPV potently and RTV moderately but not DRV induced ER stress via ROS-dependent JNK activation rather than proteasome inhibition. Finally, we analyzed ER stress induction in tissues of mice intraperitoneally injected with RTV, LPV, and DRV. RTV and LPV but not DRV showed ER stress induction in several mice tissues. In conclusion, we first identify LPV as the most potent ER stress inducing PI among 9 FDA-approved PIs in human cells, and although clinical verification is necessary, we show here that DRV has the advantage of less ROS and ER stress induction potential compared with LPV in vitro and in vivo.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a subtype of aggressive and resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma that occurs predominantly in patients with advanced AIDS. In this study, we examined the antitumor activity of zoledronic acid (Zol)-induced Vγ9Vδ2 T cells against PEL cells in vitro and in vivo. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells recognized endogenous mevalonate metabolites and MICA/B of PEL cell lines, inducing cytotoxicity via granule exocytosis and TRAIL-mediated pathway. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells suppressed the development of PEL cells and existed in a PEL xenograft mouse model. These results show that immunotherapy with Zol-induced Vγ9Vδ2 T cells could demonstrate an efficient strategy for PEL.

SUMMARY This paper proposes an interface system that enables a user to input and obtain information independent of position within a certain area in an environment with a projector–camera system. Hand gestures detected in the image are used as a cue to start the system, to distinguish gestures based on the user's intention to operate the system from other daily-life motions, and to specify the position of the user's hand. Hand gesture detection is implemented based on a combination of the background subtraction method and skin color extraction. The user can designate the projection area freely on a flat surface in the environment with his/her hand. The projector is mounted on a pan-tilt unit that projects information according to the user's indications. Then, the user's fingertip is detected using simple template matching and he/she interacts with the projected information to input commands without any equipment. As one application, we developed an interface system to operate electrical appliances such as a television intuitively in an everyday environment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 96(11): 70–81, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11477

This paper proposes a novel solution to the problems that exist in the conventional hill climb searching (HCS) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for the wind energy conversion system. The presented solution not only solves the tracking speed versus control efficiency tradeoff problem of HCS but also makes sure that the changing wind conditions do not lead HCS in the wrong direction. It intelligently adapts the variable step size to keep up with the rapid changes in the wind and seizes the perturbation at the maxima to yield 100% control efficiency. For this purpose, a novel peak detection capability has been devised which, in contrast with conventional peak detection, can work robustly under changing wind conditions. The proposed MPPT performs self-tuning to cope with the nonconstant efficiencies of the generator-converter subsystems-a phenomenon quite rarely discussed in research papers so far. In addition, a smart speed-sensorless scheme has been developed to avoid the use of mechanical sensors. The experimental results confirm that the proposed algorithm is remarkably faster and more efficient than the conventional HCS.

This study was conducted to clarify how two fluids with different temperature are mixed turbulently in a cross-flow type T-junction. The characteristics of the velocity and temperature fields in the channel were investigated experimentally, and the flow visualization was conducted to make clear the detailed behavior of the interface between two flows in the flow-merging region. We extracted the dominant structures of the velocity and concentration fields by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). It is clarified that the interface of two flows is oscillating vertically and several discrete longitudinal eddies are superposed on it. We have concluded that the vertical oscillation of the interface is caused by the fluctuation of the streamwise velocity component, and the mushroom-like eddies are caused by the vertical fluctuating velocity; the former produces the turbulent heat flux in the streamwise direction, and the latter produces that in the vertical direction.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a new instantaneous torque control method for switched reluctance motor (SR motor) and presents experimental data in electric vehicle (EV) application.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed control method uses two kind of techniques: a flux‐based commutation technique prevents the negative phase torque always. On the other hand, a direct phase‐torque distribution technique gives suitable each phase‐torque command under limited DC voltage. These techniques can track motor torque to the command. These control schemes are implemented on a small processor and a field programmable gate array.FindingsThe experimental results of the EV show small torque ripple at low speed on both acceleration and regenerative braking. Changing the parameter of the current stop angle can improve torque ripple at high speed. The proposed method can effectively control motor torque.Practical implicationsThe proposed method can reduce torque ripple but the implementation is very simple. The proposed control method can be used for any applications. So, that contributes to expand the application of SR motors.Originality/valueThe proposed control scheme requires just static torque curve obtain by finite element analysis or simple experiments. Complex parameters, such as nonlinear inductance, current to torque profiles, and other heuristics parameters, are not necessary. The proposed control is simple but practical.

Recently, an innovative method of fabricating vertical light-emitting diode (LED) was introduced by the chemically lift-off (CLO) process. Such fabrication of the vertical LED could be realized by inserting the CrN interlayer between sapphire substrate and gallium nitride (GaN) layer. In this paper, by using off-cut sapphires, we tried to find out the influence of off-angles on the overgrown GaN films with respect to crystal quality and surface roughness. The CrN is formed by nitridizing the deposited Cr layer on the sapphire substrate at 1080 °C, and then GaN was grown on the nitrided Cr. By X-ray diffraction system (XRD) measurements, the crystal quality tendency of the GaN film on the variation of the off-angles was similar with that of the CrN interlayer. Through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurement, it was found out that AlN layer with a thickness of a few nanometers also formed between sapphire and CrN during the nitridation treatment of Cr layer. Compared with the previous reports, such tendency of the crystal quality for the vicinal sapphires with CrN interlayer was well matched with the tendency of the previous results in the vicinal sapphire without the CrN interlayer. Therefore, it can be surmised that the AlN layer between sapphire and CrN was precedently influenced by the vicinal substrate and then, the AlN layer had an influence on the upper layers of GaN as well as CrN. In addition, it was found that the vicinal sapphires with the off-angles of 0.2–0.3° had the minimum full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) values by XRD measurements, which were lower by 20% than the others.

Thick GaN films were grown on two different low-temperature GaN (LT-GaN)-buffer layers, i.e., one- and two-step LT-GaN buffer, by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE). NH 4 Cl layer was included in two-step LT-GaN, which was evaluated by X-ray diffraction patterns. Many voids were observed at the interface for both samples. We will discuss the mechanism of void formation for both samples. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) values of (0 0 0 2) ω -rocking curves were 390 and 440 arcsec for 200-μm-thick GaN on one- and two-step LT-GaN, respectively. The 200-μm-thick high-temperature GaN (HT-GaN) film on two-step LT-GaN was self-separated without any cracks after cooling down. NH 4 Cl layer included into two-step LT-GaN buffer was effectively contributed to the voids formation and self-separation in realizing a stress-free free-standing GaN (FS-GaN) substrate.

Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is an excellent modulation format for realizing optical communication systems with a high spectral efficiency aiming at 10bit/s/Hz. We describe a three-channel frequency division multiplexed (FDM) and polarization-multiplexed 1 Gsymbol/s, 64 QAM coherent transmission over a 160km SMF with a 1.4GHz spacing. The total capacity for each channel reaches 36Gbit/s in an optical bandwidth of 4.2GHz, resulting in a spectral efficiency of 8.6bit/s/Hz.

Switched Reluctance(SR) motors have several advantages for industrial applications. However, their drive circuits are not necessarily suitable. The drive circuit of a 3-phase SR motor has 6 switches and 6 diodes such as general 3-phase inverter, but its connection is different. So, a general 3-phase power module such as Intelligent Power Module(IPM) can't be used. We proposed a novel drive circuit for SR motors, which can be constructed using general a 3-phase power module without external inductors or devices. This drive method has several advantages including low cost, high efficiency, and compactness. It was simulated on SPICE including the controller and the driving performances were investigated. The new drive circuit allowed phase current to flow bi-directionally. So, the reluctance torque of SR motors is not affected by current direction. Then, we developed the new drive circuit for a 6/4 SR motor using a conventional 3-phase IPM. The results of the experiments indicated same performances as conventional way and higher efficiency than conventional way.

Thick GaN films were grown by HVPE (Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy) on c-sapphire substrates with GaN nano-rod buffer layers. Lateral epitaxial growth mode was adapted to grow GaN thick films on nano-structure buffer. Thick GaN films were self-separated during cooling down by thermal stress caused by the difference of thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) between GaN and sapphire. Since the nano-rod buffer consists of nano-rods and voids, it is mechanically weaker than planar GaN layers and contributes to the self-separation of GaN thick films. 200 μm-thick free-standing GaN substrates show smooth surface morphology without any microcracks. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of (0002) X-ray rocking curve is 619 [arcsec]. Donor-bound exciton emission is observed at 3.4718 eV in low-temperature photoluminescence spectra, which is nearly the same peak position as bulk GaN. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In order to understand the origin of leakage current, light emitting devices were grown on two different templates with apparently different dislocation density: one on thin GaN template (∼2 μm) with higher dislocation density (low × 109 cm–2) prepared by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (sample A), and the other on thick GaN template (∼20 μm) with comparatively low dislocation density (high × 108 cm–2) by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (sample B). Especially, the template B showed very low value of the dislocation density for a screw component, 2.2 × 107 cm–2 evaluated by transmission electron microscope and 2.3 × 107 cm–2 approximated by the Williamson-Hall plot which was evaluated by high resolution X-ray diffraction, respectively. On the other hand, sample A showed one order higher, low × 108 cm–2, than that of sample B for a screw component. Sample A showed the larger leakage current (more than two orders of magnitude) than sample B in a forward-biased region and a reverse-biased region also. It is expected that the screw dislocation were strongly contributed to the leakage current of forward and reverse I-V regions in LEDs. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) attracts attention as motor that use no rare earth materials. And it is a candidate technology for electric vehicle application. In addition, Axial-Flux structure has possibility of effective utilization of In-Wheel flat motor space. However, it is not established how to decide optimum design of Axial-Flux SRM (AFSRM). This paper mainly discusses the reduction in size and weight of AFSRM. First, the optimum ratio of SRM's diameter and axial length (diameter/axial length) for increase torque-volume density is examined using FEA. So, the optimum stator pole length regarding to the diameter for maximum torque-volume density is found. After that, a double stator AFSRM is designed for EV.

In this paper, we design an outer-rotor type multipolar switched reluctance (SR) motor, and examine an application of the SR motor to an electric vehicle (EV). The design is based on a nonlinear magnetic circuit model proposed by the authors. Using the model, we can calculate dynamic characteristics of a SR motor accurately. Furthermore, by combining the nonlinear magnetic circuit model with a motor drive circuit and motion equation of an EV, we can predict dynamic characteristics such as the maximum speed, acceleration torque, and a battery current of the EV.

We report on GaN growth on Zn-polar ZnO substrates using plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (P-MBE). Before GaN growth, ZnO substrate annealing conditions were optimized. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns after low-temperature GaN buffer layer annealing changed from streaky to spotty, suggesting that zinc and oxygen atoms interdiffuse from the ZnO substrate into the GaN epilayer. This interdiffusion results in a mix-polar GaN epilayer.

We report on a surface property of bulk ZnO crystals and an optical method to evaluate it. Bulk ZnO crystals have a damaged surface layer due to chemomechanical polishing. We prepared the ZnO crystals by etching, and evaluated the improvement of the surface by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL). In PL measurements, the relative intensity of the first order longitudinal optical phonon replica of free exciton (FX-1LO) to second order process (FX-2LO) was compared. The relative intensity becomes weak with increasing etched depth and finally saturates at the etched depth of 5 μm. This result agrees well with XRD results.

We study the growth and optical properties of Cr-doped CdTe/ZnTe nanostructures grown on ZnTe (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. In-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction is used to study the growth processes and strain relaxation behaviors of Cr-doped CdTe quantum dots (QDs). After 4.5�ML deposition, the surface lattice parameter begins to increase remarkably, which indicates that the two-dimensional growth mode is terminated and the CdTe layer grows in a three-dimensional mode. Low temperature photoluminescence spectra of Cr-doped CdTe QDs (Tcr = 900 °C) show a broad emision. With increasing the Cr cell temperature above 1000 °C, the luminescence from CdTe QDs disappears and the broad luminescence at around 1.6 eV becomes dominant.

This study experimentally examined disc brake-generated inplane squeal by looking at vibration modes. The in-plane squeal was determined to be closely related to both the out-of-plane squeal that has directionality caused by Coulomb friction and the in-plane squeal caused by dry friction. The characteristics of in-plane squeal were also analytically investigated using a concentrated mass model formed by connected massless beams, and the relationship between mass added to the rotor and squeal suppression was clarified.

As next-generation sequencing becomes an indispensible tool for biomedical research, it is crucial to provide analysis solutions that are usable and cost effective for biomedical researchers. Galaxy Cloud addresses this by combining the accessible Galaxy interface with automated management of cloud computing resources. Unlike purpose-built solutions, Galaxy allows users either to use existing tested best practices in the form of workflows or to construct their own analyses for novel tasks. Galaxy Cloud instances are owned and controlled entirely by the user who created them and can be used effectively in secure private clouds. Thus, Galaxy Cloud provides a solution that retains user control and privacy, makes complex analysis accessible and enables the use of practically limitless on-demand computing resources.

We investigated experimentally the transmission performance of 100 Gbps dual-carrier DP-BPSK signals transmitted on a 3,080 km in-line chromatic dispersion compensated fiber link with real-time digital signal processing. Its doubled phase margin and nonlinear noise squeezing achieved 2 dB greater robustness to fiber nonlinearity effects compared to single-carrier DP-QPSK signal.

GaN epitaxial films are grown on c-plane sapphire substrates with CrN buffer. The GaN layers show high crystalline quality and smooth surface morphology without being cracked. Selective etching of CrN buffer is performed by wet etching using conventional Cr metal etchant, which results in success ful lift-off of GaN thick layers. We confirm that the crystalline quality of GaN does not change through the etching process. These results indicate that the chemical lift-off process using CrN buffer is promising for production of both freestanding GaN substrates and vertical-structure devices. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Vertical light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were successfully fabricated by a chemical lift-off process using a selectively etchable CrN buffer layer. The novel CrN metallic layer worked well as a buffer layer for growth of the GaN LED and was etched out clearly during selective chemical etching. The vertical LED by chemical lift-off showed very good current-voltage performance with low series resistance of 0.65 Omega and low operated voltage of 3.11 V at 350 mA. Also, this device could be operated at a much higher injection forward current (1118 mA at 3.70 V) by thermally conductive metal substrate which enabled the high current operation with excellent heat dissipation.

A Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) has been considered to be the most promising Renewable Energy System (RES) owing to its fast - developing technology. However, power generation cost of the WECS is still higher than that of fossil energy conversion systems. Therefore, new type generators and power electronic drive circuits are required to be developed. A Permanent Magnet Reluctance Generator (PMRG), which is a special Switched Reluctance Generator (SRG) with magnet on stator yoke, seems to have potential to meet expectations of WECSs. Although an Asymmetric Half Bridge (AHB) converter is the best solution for independent phase control of the PMRG, it contains six controllable switches and six freewheeling diodes. Another converter topology, known as Miller converter, requires less switches and diodes and can be used to reduce the converter cost. In this work, the first use of Miller converter for SRGs, particularly for PMRGs, has been presented. The converter has been accompanied by torque ripple minimization -assisted Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPTT) algorithm and has been experimentally performed on the PMRG driven WECS. The control-converter combination not only allows converting wind energy at its maximum power point (MPP) but also provides a protection from possible damages or failures due to torque ripples.

This paper presents a novel segment type DC excited Reluctance Generator (DCeRG) with segment type rotor core. Conventional proposed DCeRG has simple and robust structure, low cost, and maintenance free for small-scale distributed power sources. In the paper, by using FEM we confirmed that the output power and efficiency of the DCeRG with segment type rotor core are improved in comparison with conventional DCeRG which has salient pole rotor. Furthermore, torque ripple is remarkably reduced by the segment rotor structure.

GaN films were grown on ZnO substrate under various beam equivalent pressure ratios by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (P-MBE). We theoretically calculated the thermal stress caused by the difference of thermal expansion coefficients between GaN and ZnO. The changes of stress and critical thickness were evaluated by measurement of XRD for HT GaN and LT GaN buffer grown under Ga-rich and N-rich conditions. From this study, we observed that GaN grown under Ga-rich condition causes GaN film to under compressive-stress, while GaN grown under N-rich condition was tensile-stressed. Consequently, interdiffusion has no effect on the variation of the critical thickness.

Optical properties of ZnO thin films with/without MgO-buffer annealing were investigated by low and room temperature photoluminescence measurements. The ZnO films were grown on c -sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy employing a thin MgO-buffer layer. Dislocation density of ZnO layer was reduced from 5.3 × 10 9 to 1.9 × 10 9 cm −2 by annealing MgO-buffer prior to the growth of ZnO. The intensity of free exciton emission from the sample with MgO-buffer annealing was almost twice of that from the sample without annealing, while the deep level emission from the sample with MgO-buffer annealing was about 1/3 of that without annealing. The MgO-buffer annealing improves optical quality of overgrown ZnO films.