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BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often affects women in their childbearing years, and pregnancy may affect SLE disease activity during pregnancy and post-partum (1,2). Limited data assessing the likelihood and characteristics of SLE activity in an extended time period post-partum which may be relevant as patients may wish further pregnancies exist.ObjectivesTo assess predicting factors that might influence SLE disease activity in women in an extended follow-up period of 2 years after giving birth and clinical assessment every three months.MethodsThe study was design as an international retrospective, data-driven case collection study, enrolling 119 women with a first birth and with a strictly monitored follow-up period of 2 years.ResultsTable 1 shows pregnancy outcomes of all pregnancies. When considering disease manifestations, joint involvement was present in 80% of patients, acute cutaneous in 64%, haematological in 54%and renal in 41%; 75% of patients were positive for anti-dsDNA, 49% for anti-ENA and 37% for anti-Ro/SSA positive. The mean SLE disease activity index 2000(SLEDAI-2k) at diagnosis was 13.5±6.8 and at first birth was 2.8±4.4.Table 1.Pregnancy outcomes of all pregnancies and relative breastfeeding dataPregnancy CharacteristicsAll (214)%OutcomesLive births16979Miscarriages3717.3Stillbirths83.7Maternal and Foetal ComplicationsPrematurity3918.2Pre-eclampsia2310.7HELLP syndrome41.9Placental Infarction125.6Breastfeeding (all pregnancies)Any breastfeeding (n, %)10964.5*Exclusive breastfeeding (n, %)8751.5*Breastfeeding (after first birth)Any breastfeeding (n, %)8773.1**Any breastfeeding duration (months) (m±sd)10.29±10.04Exclusive breastfeeding*** (n, %)6252.1**Exclusive breastfeeding*** duration (months) (m±sd)6.07±6*Percentages are calculated considering viable babies (total= 169)**Percentages are calculated considering first birth (total= 119)***Exclusive breastfeeding was defined as feeding infants only breast milkAt follow-up, 51.3% of patients had at least one flare after a mean time after birth of 9±6.3 months(mean flare per patient 0.94±1.1). The most frequent flare manifestations were joint involvement(48%), followed by renal(33%), cutaneous(28%) and haematologic(20%).Patients with remission of disease(SLEDAI-2K=0; no clinical or laboratory manifestations of SLE) at conception had significantly lower rates of flares than those not in remission (18/49–37% vs. 43/70–61%;p=0.008) (Figure 1).Figure 1.Flare proportion: Survival Curve based on remission status at conception of the patients included in the study.Patients who experienced a flare during pregnancy (17 patients), when compared to those who did not, had higher rates of flares during follow-up (76% vs. 47%, respectively, p=0.019), lower time for first flare (4.4±2.3 months vs. 10.3±6.5, respectively, pRemission of disease and flares during pregnancy remained significantly associated with the development of flares during follow-up after multivariate analysis.ConclusionRemission at conception can influence SLE disease positively, even at long-term. Planned pregnancy counseling is fundamental when managing SLE patients.References[1]Tincani A, Nalli C, Khizroeva J, Bitsadze V, Lojacono A, Andreoli L, et al. Autoimmune diseases and pregnancy. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2019;33.[2]Clowse MEB, Magder LS, Witter F, Petri M. The impact of increased lupus activity on obstetric outcomes. Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:514–521.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

Lichen symbioses are generally thought to be stabilized by the transfer of fixed carbon compounds from a photosynthesizing unicellular symbiont to a fungus. In other fungal symbioses, carbohydrate subsidies correlate with genomic reductions in the number of genes for plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs), but whether this is the case with lichen fungal symbionts (LFSs) is unknown. We predicted genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and sugar transporters in 17 existing and 29 newly sequenced genomes from across the class Lecanoromycetes, the largest extant clade of LFSs. Despite possessing lower mean numbers of PCWDE genes compared to non-symbiont Ascomycota, all LFS genomes possessed a robust suite of predicted PCWDEs. The largest CAZyme gene numbers, on par with model species such as Penicillium, were retained in genomes from the subclass Ostropomycetidae, which are found in crust lichens with highly specific ecologies. The lowest numbers were in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae, which are symbionts of many generalist macrolichens. Our results suggest that association with phototroph symbionts does not in itself result in functional loss of PCWDEs and that PCWDE losses may have been driven by adaptive processes within the evolution of specific LFS lineages. The inferred capability of some LFSs to access a wide range of carbohydrates suggests that some lichen symbioses may augment fixed CO2 with carbon from external sources.SignificanceLichen symbioses are considered self-contained autotrophic systems in which the total carbon economy is the sum of phototroph-fixed CO2, supplied to a fungus as sugars. In other fungal-plant symbioses, such as mycorrhizae, plant-derived sugar subsidies are associated with loss of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs). We compared PCWDE inventories in 46 genomes from the largest group of lichen fungal symbionts (LFSs) with non-symbionts from across Ascomycota. We found that despite lower overall gene numbers, all LFSs retain PCWDEs, and some possess gene numbers and functional diversity on par with non-symbionts. Our results suggest that association with a phototroph does not necessarily result in PCWDE loss, and some lichens may obtain carbon from sources other than CO2 fixation.

Background: Neratinib, a potent irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks signal transduction through HER1, HER2, and HER4, has demonstrated activity against metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer (HER2+ BC) in patients pretreated with trastuzumab. The FDA recently approved neratinib as an adjuvant treatment for HER2+ BC patients who have received trastuzumab for at least 1 year. Preclinical data demonstrate that trastuzumab-resistant BC cells remain sensitive to neratinib. Also, neratinib enhances responses to trastuzumab possibly by increasing trastuzumab's internalization, immune-mediated action, and other mechanisms. Taken together, these findings provide the rationale for adding neratinib to the standard of care combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab with paclitaxel to enhance anti-HER2 efficacy in advanced HER2+ BC. Here, we report on the phase Ib portion of an ongoing phase Ib/II trial of this drug combination. Trial Design: Patients with metastatic or locally advanced HER2+ BC will be enrolled in the phase Ib portion of the trial. Neratinib is given orally in 3-week cycles. The initial neratinib dose of 80 mg daily is increased to 120, 160, and 200 mg daily after safety assessments of each dose level. Other agents are administered as per the standard of care. Patients continue therapy with per-protocol dose escalation and de-escalation according to toxicity until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of neratinib is reached. The target maximum dose-limiting toxicity rate is 20%. All patients receive 4 cycles of the combination therapy. If patients do not have disease progression or excessive toxicity, they may receive 2-4 additional cycles at the treating physician's discretion. During therapy, patients undergo blood tests every week and have clinical visits and restaging scans every 3 weeks. Because gastrointestinal toxicity, mainly diarrhea, is anticipated, patients receive prophylactic antidiarrheal medication (e.g., loperamide, budesonide) beginning with the first dose of neratinib. Eligibility Criteria: Eligible patients must have histologically confirmed metastatic or locally advanced HER2+ BC (BC may be inflammatory or non-inflammatory and have any hormone receptor status); an ECOG performance status score of 0 or 1; and adequate hematologic and organ function, including adequate cardiac function (as indicated by a left ventricle ejection fraction of ≥50%). Specific Aims: 1- To determine the MTD of neratinib in combination with paclitaxel, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab. 2- Pharmacodynamic markers will be measured on biologic specimens. Neratinib-induced changes in pEGFR and/or HER2 expression will be analyzed and compared between dose levels. Statistical Methods: The Bayesian modified toxicity probability interval is used to determine dose adjustment. Accrual: The target enrollment for the phase Ib cohort is 20 patients. The trial has enrolled 3 patients since its activation in January 2018. This trial is supported by Puma Biotechnology, Aggressive Breast Cancer Research Program Grant. Citation Format: Al-Awadhi A, Kono M, Marx A, Moseley T, Willey J, Sun H, Fu M, Whitman GJ, Valero V, Ueno NT, Lim B. A phase Ib study of neratinib, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab with paclitaxel in patients with metastatic and locally advanced breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT2-07-09.

BackgroundThe management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been transformed by the use of molecular targeted therapies. Early treatment and treat-to-target approach leads to good clinical response and remission (responders), but not in all patients.Environmental factors including diet contribute to the development, activity and severity of RA. Evidence from clinical trials suggested that dietary interventions, such as Mediterranean diet or supplementation with fish oil rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), have positive effects on RA. Japanese and Mediterranean diets are associated with longevity and characterized by high fish intake. Clinical studies have identified predictors of treatment response in individual RA patients, however, the influence of fish consumption on treatment response in RA patients treated with targeted therapies has not been elucidated.ObjectivesTo assess whether fish consumption is associated with a good response to targeted therapies in RA patients with Japanese and Mediterranean dietary patterns.MethodsThe study is a collaborative international cross-sectional retrospective study enrolling patients with RA on treatment with biologics or JAK inhibitors attending to Hokkaido University Hospital, Japan or Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Spain.Enrolled patients were asked to complete a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) and a detailed fish frequency questionnaire (DFFQ) referring to consumption frequency in the previous month. At study entry, alcohol consumption, tobacco habits, educational level and employment status were recorded and RA disease activity evaluated by qualified rheumatologists. Demographic, clinical/laboratory data were retrospectively extracted from the medical records.By December 2021, 279 patients (Japan 217, Spain 62) returned the questionnaires. A preliminary analysis was carried out with the first 58 Japanese patients in which all clinical and laboratory data could be collected. A descriptive analysis was performed and the relative risks approximated by odds ratios.ResultsFifty-eight Japanese RA patients, 45 females, median age at entry 66 yrs [IQR 54-73], median disease duration 11yrs [IQR 7-20] were included in this analysis. Fifty-three (93%) of patients were on biologic therapies and four (7%) on JAK inhibitors with a median treatment duration of 4.5 yrs [IQR 1-7]. Concomitant treatment with conventional DMARDS and glucocorticoids were reported in 69% and 48% of patients, respectively. Forty-two (72%) patients were responders to treatment defined as DASESR ≦3.2. Another systemic autoimmune disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia or gout history were present in 29%, 29%, 9%, 33% and 10% of patients, respectively.All patients had consumption of fish in the last month and an intake of n3-PUFA rich fish (fatty fish) was indicated by 82% (The patients’ fatty and non-fatty fish intake scores were calculated with a mathematical formula based on the intake of each of the fish included in the DFFQ and number of responses. In the group of high fatty fish score patients (≧ 1 time/week) 94% were responders to treatment vs. 6% non-responders, [OR 8.75, CI [1.0-73.54, p= 0.022] while only 63% of patients in the high non-fatty fish score group respond to the treatment.ConclusionFatty fish intake associated with a good response to treatment in patients receiving targeted therapies, suggesting that fish consumption may have some beneficial effects on RA treatment.ReferencesThere is no reference.AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements to Ms. Y. Ikea and S. Kumagai for their enriching support on the nutritional properties of fish. Supported by the Kakenhi C grant number 20K11597 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

Background: Bone is the most common site of metastasis of breast cancer, and bone metastasis is associated with a high rate of skeletal-related events, all of which contribute to decreased quality of life and poor outcomes. Biological mechanisms of metastasis to bone may be unique, and identification of distinct signaling pathways and somatic mutations may provide biological insight into or rational targets for treatment of and prevention of bone metastasis. The aims of this study were to compare and contrast somatic mutations, clinicopathologic characteristics, and survival in breast cancer patients with bone only versus non-bone as first metastatic site. Methods: Tumor samples were collected from 389 patients who had metastasis and untreated primary breast cancer. In each sample, 46 or 50 cancer-related genes were selectively amplified and analyzed for mutations by AmpliSeq Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing. We used Fisher's exact test to identify somatic mutations associated with bone-only first metastasis and logistic regression models to identify differences in clinicopathologic characteristics, survival, and somatic mutations between patients with bone-only first metastasis and patients with first metastasis in non-bone sites only (“other-only first metastasis”). Results: Among the 389 patients, the first metastasis was located in bone only in 72 patients (18.5%), non-bone sites only in 223 patients (57.3%), and both in 94 patients (24.2%). Of the cancer-related genes analyzed, the most commonly mutated were TP53 (N=103), PIK3CA (N=79), AKT (N=13), and PTEN (N=2). Compared to patients with other-only first metastasis, patients with bone-only first metastasis had higher rates of hormone-receptor-positive disease, non-triple-negative subtype, and low nuclear grade (grade 1 or 2) (all 3 comparisons, p Conclusions: We did not find associations between somatic mutations and bone-only first metastasis in patients with untreated breast cancer. Patients with bone-only first metastasis have longer OS than patients with other-only first metastasis. More comprehensive molecular analysis may be needed to further understand the factors associated with bone-only metastatic disease in breast cancer. Citation Format: Kono M, Fujii T, Matsuda N, Harano K, Chen H, Wathoo C, Aron JY, Tripathy D, Meric-Bernstam F, Ueno NT. Somatic mutations, clinicopathologic characteristics, and survival in patients with untreated breast cancer with bone-only and non-bone sites of first metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-16-04.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in tongue-palatal contact patterns using electropalatography (EPG) before and after sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) in patients with mandibular prognathism. Nine clients who underwent SSRO for mandibular setback and seven control subjects were participated in this study. Tongue-palatal contact patterns for /t/, /s/ and /k/ production were investigated using EPG before surgery and 3 months after surgery. The mean value of whole total of palate contact (WT) in the maximum contact frame was examined before and after SSRO. The correlation quantity between the change of center of gravity (COG) value and the amount of mandibular setback was also evaluated. The mean value of WT for /t/ and /s/ significantly increased after SSRO, and the EPG pattern became normal. However, a remarkable change in WT for /k/ was not observed, and the mean value was significantly larger in the SSRO group before and after surgery than in the control group. A negative correlation between COG variation and the amount of mandibular setback for /t/ and positive correlation for /s/ was observed. This study demonstrated that tongue-palatal contact patterns for /t/ and /s/ articulation improved clearly after SSRO. There was a significant correlation between COG variation and the amount of mandibular setback. However, no significant change was detected through perceptual assessment before and after SSRO. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these results will change over time.

Objective Application of immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) is considered an effective treatment strategy against persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. With the goal of developing improved therapeutic vaccination strategies for patients with tuberculosis (TB), we tested the ability of ex vivo-generated DCs to induce an effective TB antigen-specific type-1 immune response. Methods Monocyte-derived DCs from TB patients were induced to mature using a 'standard' cytokine cocktail (interleukin [IL] 1β, tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], IL-6 and prostaglandin E2) or a type 1-polarised DC (DC1) cocktail (IL-1β, TNF-α, interferon [IFN] α, IFN-γ and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid), and were loaded with the established TB antigen 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target protein (ESAT-6). Results Although DC1s from TB patients expressed the same levels of multiple co-stimulatory molecules (CD83, CD86, CD80 and CD40) as the standard DCs (sDCs), DC1s secreted substantially higher levels of IL-12p70. Furthermore, when DCs pulsed with or without ESAT-6 were cultured with lymphocytes from the same patients, DC1s induced much higher numbers of ESAT-6-specific IFN-γ-producing T-cells than sDCs, as manifested by their superior induction of natural killer cell activation and antigen-independent suppression of regulatory T-cells. Conclusion TB antigen-loaded DC1s are potent inducers of antigen-specific T-cells, which could be used to develop improved immunotherapies of TB.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disease, characterized by fibrosis in the skin and organs. There are many reports on the roles of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the pathogenesis of SS...

Background: The use of the nonselective androgen fluoxymesterone in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diminished after the 1960s because of its adverse events and a limited understanding of its biological effects. Although fluoxymesterone has had efficacy against tamoxifen-resistant disease in clinical studies, its role in the era of contemporary hormonal therapy is unclear. Recent studies have shown that the androgen–androgen receptor (AR) complex acts as a suppressor of estrogen receptor (ER)+ breast cancer. We hypothesized that fluoxymesterone is effective against MBC that progresses despite contemporary hormonal therapy and that the drug has more clinical benefit in patients with ER+AR+ disease than in patients with ER+AR- disease. We evaluated the survival outcomes of patients with MBC who received fluoxymesterone after contemporary hormonal therapy failed and evaluated the association between ER/AR status and survival outcomes in these patients. Methods and Materials: We included 103 patients treated with fluoxymesterone who had already received at least one prior hormonal or cytotoxic treatment for MBC between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2014, at a single institution. A pathologist reviewed these patients' tumors' ER and AR expression levels by immunohistochemical staining. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined from the start of fluoxymesterone treatment to the date of disease progression or last follow-up. We used Cox regression analysis to examine univariate and multivariate correlates of PFS. Results: Patients received a median of 3 (range: 0-10) prior hormonal therapies (aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen, and/or fulvestrant) before fluoxymesterone. Of the 103 patients, 33 (32%) discontinued fluoxymesterone because of physician decision or adverse events, which included toxicity in 14 patients, and 70 (68%) were eligible for tumor response assessment by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Of these 70 patients, 2 (3%) had a complete response, 7 (10%) had a partial response, and 21 (30%) had stable disease for at least 6 months, yielding a clinical benefit rate of 43%. The median PFS was 3.9 months (95% confidence interval: 3.2–5.3 months). The multivariate analysis revealed no significant association between PFS and the type or number of prior treatments. Thirty-nine patients (38%) had archived tumor slides available for AR staining. All 39 patients had ER+ disease; 5 had ≤1%, 5 had >1% but Conclusions: Fluoxymesterone showed objective tumor response and prolonged control of ER+ MBC refractory to contemporary endocrine therapy. The number and type of prior treatments did not impact the drug's clinical benefit, and AR+ status did not influence the clinical outcome. Fluoxymesterone should be considered for patients whose ER+ MBC progresses despite contemporary hormonal therapy, regardless of their AR status. Citation Format: Kono M, Fujii T, Lyons GR, Huo L, Bassett R, Gong Y, Karuturi MS, Tripathy D, Ueno NT. Impact of androgen receptor expression in fluoxymesterone-treated, estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer exposed to contemporary hormonal therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-05-04.

Supplemental material, LUP881200 Supplemental Material for Factor Xa inhibitors for preventing recurrent thrombosis in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study by T Sato, H Nakamura, Y Fujieda, N Ohnishi, N Abe, M Kono, M Kato, K Oku, T Bohgaki, O Amengual, S Yasuda and T Atsumi in Lupus

New Findings What is the central question of this study? Is exercise-induced oxidative stress the upstream exercise-related signalling mechanism that leads to sustained postexercise vasodilatation via activation of H1 and H2 histamine receptors? What is the main finding and its importance? Systemic administration of the antioxidant ascorbate inhibits sustained postexercise vasodilatation to the same extent as seen previously with H1 and H2 histamine receptor blockade following small muscle-mass exercise. However, ascorbate has a unique ability to catalyse the degradation of histamine. We also found that systemic infusion of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine had no effect on sustained postexercise vasodilatation, suggesting that exercise-induced oxidative stress does not contribute to sustained postexercise vasodilatation. An acute bout of aerobic exercise elicits a sustained postexercise vasodilatation that is mediated by histamine H1 and H2 receptor activation. However, the upstream signalling pathway that leads to postexercise histamine receptor activation is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the potent antioxidant ascorbate would inhibit this histaminergic vasodilatation following exercise. Subjects performed 1 h of unilateral dynamic knee extension at 60% of peak power in three conditions: (i) control; (ii) i.v. ascorbate infusion; and (iii) ascorbate infusion plus oral H1/H2 histamine receptor blockade. Femoral artery blood flow was measured (using Doppler ultrasound) before exercise and for 2 h postexercise. Femoral vascular conductance was calculated as flow/pressure. Postexercise vascular conductance was greater for control conditions (3.4 ± 0.1 ml min−1 mmHg−1) compared with ascorbate (2.7 ± 0.1 ml min−1 mmHg−1; P

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease that causes inflammatory granulomas in many organs and tissues. Symptomatic muscle involvement is quite rare, although approximately 50–80% of patients with sarcoi...

In order to improve the physical and chemical contacts between a porous TiO2 layer and an F-doped SnO2 transparent conductive layer (FTO), the surface of the FTO layer is polished. After polishing, the surface roughness decreased. However, light transmittance and sheet resistance did not vary largely. The short circuit current (Jsc) and efficiencies increased after the FTO was polished. It was found that the interfacial charge transfer between a TiO2 layer and an FTO layer decreased by impedance measurement, which suggests that contacts between an FTO and a TiO2 layer are improved because of the flatted surfaces or removal of electrical impurities. We propose one of the industrially important phenomena that surface polishing of FTO is one of the ways to increase photovoltaic performances for DSCs.

This paper describes a system for measuring total harmonic distortion (THD) signal components between 1 and 100 MHz at levels down to 130 dBc, which has not been previously achieved. This system consists of mechanically sturdy passive bandpass (BPF) and passive band-elimination (BEF) filters with carefully selected parts. The BPF is used to create a pure sinusoidal signal input to the device under test, whereas the BEF removes the fundamental frequency component of the output signal to overcome dynamic range limitations of a spectrum analyzer that is used to measure the output. We describe design concepts and implementation of these filters, as well as measurement results that show the performance achieved. We also propose to use our BPF to provide a pure sine wave output from signal generators that use analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) as the signal source. A high-precision THD measuring system can be used to measure the ac linearity of electronic devices (such as operational amplifiers, ADCs, and digital-to-analog converters) that operate at frequencies up to several tens of megahertz.

The stability of kinetic Alfven waves is discussed for a partially ionized plasma with a flux of ionizing electrons which balance the plasma particle losses. Accidental electromagnetic perturbations are shown to be unstable due to the energy change of ionizing electrons.

An analytical description is presented for the excitation of electrostatic modes in partially ionized magnetized space and laboratory plasmas. The neutrals introduce some effects that are responsible for the creation of ions, which in a stationary plasma is balanced by a number of phenomena in which ions and electrons are lost. The behaviour of several modes is discussed, such as the ion acoustic, drift, ion cyclotron and the Farley–Buneman mode. The instability conditions are obtained, showing that inelastic collisions can either modify some of these modes or make them unstable. The formation of a global nonlinear structure in a spatially bounded laboratory plasma is discussed. The structure is experimentally observed, and an analytical model is presented showing that the charge exchange plays a decisive role in its formation.

Al2O3 TiO2 ceramics has great promise as a dielectric resonator material for millimeter-wave use. The Al2O3 TiO2 MnO system provides low dielectric constant and high quality factor (Q). TiO2 and Al2O3 can compensate each other's temperature coefficient of resonant frequency. It is important to suppress the appearance of Al2TiO5 phase for obtaining high Q-value. In this study, dense Al2O3 TiO2 mixed ceramics without Al2TiO5 phase was synthesized by lowering the sintering temperature. The addition of MnO decreases the sintering temperature from 1400 to 1300 °C. In this temperature range, Al2TiO5 phase is hardly formed. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the ceramics is composed of Al2O3 and TiO2 phases only. Dense and well dispersed mixture of Al2O3 and TiO2 grains is observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The 0.9Al2O3 0.1TiO2 ceramics doped with 0.4 mol% of MnO has dielectric constant of 12.4, Q × f of 274,000 GHz at 76 GHz, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency of +0.4 ppm/°C. The dielectric constant and the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency can be controlled by TiO2 content. This ceramics is suitable for millimeter-wave applications because of its low dielectric constant, high Q-value, and small temperature coefficient of resonant frequency.

In the linear approximation of the Zel'dovich–Novozhilov theory, we found an analytical relation between the response function to oscillating pressure, determined at a certain initial temperature, and the response function to oscillating radiant heat flux, determined at the same pressure but at another, lower, initial temperature. The difference between the initial temperatures satisfies the equality condition between the steady‐state burning rates in the absence and in the presence of the radiant heat flux and is proportional to the latter.

Geomagnetism is the study of the magnetic field of the Earth. It originated in ancient China and Greece, where the properties of the natural magnet (lodestone) were recognized for the first time. Since the publication of De Magnete of Gilbert, geomagnetism as a science progressed by various observations and then by the theory of electromagnetism, which was formulated in the nineteenth century. The present field is observed by magnetic observatories, surveys, and magnetic satellites. But there are ways other than the direct measurements to observe the magnetic field. Paleomagnetism, which studies the remanent magnetization in rocks and sediments to infer the magnetic field of ancient times, has greatly expanded the time span covered by observations. By this method, we can trace what we do not see in the present-day field, that is, magnetic reversals and polar wander. The exploration of solar system bodies by spacecraft opened up an exciting possibility of observing the magnetic field in planets and satellites. In such studies, the presence or absence of the magnetic field gives us a unique means to examine the internal structure of the planets.

The effects of charge exchange on waves propagating in weakly ionized plasmas are discussed. It is shown that for low-frequency processes, ions and neutrals should be treated as a single fluid with some effective charge on all of them. We have derived a new momentum equation which should be used in such an environment. As a result, the low-frequency magnetic waves can propagate even if particles are not magnetized, which is entirely due to the charge exchange and the fact that it is not possible to separate particles into two different populations as charged and neutral species. So there can be no friction force between ions and neutrals in the usual sense. The mean force per particle is proportional to the ionization ratio $n_i/(n_i+ n_n)$. Regarding the application of the theory to the Alfven wave propagation in the lower solar atmosphere, the results predict that the plane of displacement of the fluid must change by 90 degrees when an Alfven wave propagates from the area where particles are un-magnetized (photosphere) to the area where they are magnetized (chromosphere). Because of the most accurate cross sections which we have here, it is possible to very accurately determine altitudes at which such rotation of the Alfven wave takes place., Comment: 10 pages; accepted to MNRAS (2015)

This paper presents experimental results for the effects of electric fields on the combustion of singledroplets for sooting and non-sooting fuels in microgravity. The ambient gas was air at atmospheric temperature and pressure, and ethyl alcochol, n -octane, and toluene were used as fuels. Applied electric field intensities ranged between 0 and 140 kV/m. The result showed clearly that the blue flame region, which corresponds to the reaction zone, is deformed toward the negative screen in electric fields for ethylalcohol. The deformation of luminous flames occurred for n -octane and toluence and is associated with the behavior of carbonaceous soot particles. The burning rate constant increased with an increase in the electric field intensity for all of the fuels tested. We suppose that induced flow to the negative screen exists by the movement of the positive ion molecules in electrc fields, and the induced flwo velocity was estimated using the analogy of flame displacement in forced convection. The burning rate constant in electric fields was predicted by the well-known empirical equation of burning rate constant in forced flows. For ethyl alchol and n -octane, experimental results are nearly consistent with predictions, while the measured burning rate constant is larger than the predicted results for toluence. The shadowgraph showed the reduction of the amount of soot that existed in the flame by electric fields for toluence, which results in the reduction of radiative heat loss of the flame. It is believed that this leads to an additional increase in burning rate constant in electric fields for toluene.

Complicated wave behavior observed in the cylindrical pair-ion (fullerene) experiments by Oohara and co-workers are now identified to be low harmonic ion cyclotron waves combined with ion plasma oscillations inherent to kinetic theory. The electrostatic dispersion equation derived is based on an approximation for the current from the exact solutions of the characteristic cylindrical geometry form of the Vlasov plasma equation in a uniform magnetized plasma cylinder surrounded by a larger metal boundary outside a vacuum gap, which thus differs from that in unbounded plasmas. Positive and negative ions, differing only in the sign of their charge, respond to a potential in the same time scale and cooperate to reflect the enhanced kinetic orbital behaviors to the macroscopic propagation characteristics. In addition, the experimental value of the Larmor radius (comparable to the discharge radius but small enough to make the analytic approximation useful) makes higher harmonic ion cyclotron effects both observable and calculable with the appropriate approximation for the kinetic theory.

The potential role of superantigens in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn disease, has been broached in studies of the functions of T cell receptors. Staphylococcal cells have been found in intestinal lymph follicles of IBDs. To clarify a role of staphylococcal superantigens in IBD, we attempted to determine whether Staphylococcus aureus could be detected in intestinal mucosa, including surgical specimens and lymph follicles of initial cases.One-hundred-and-six colonic and ileal specimens were obtained from 38 Crohn disease, 25 ulcerative colitis and 36 non-IBD patients through therapeutic surgery or endoscopic biopsy. In Crohn disease, 23 surgical specimens and 11 biopsy specimens from initial cases were included. DNA was extracted with phenol-chloroform after homogenization and proteinase K treatment in 73 mucosal specimens. Using an inverted microscope, lymph follicle tissue was microdissected from the remaining 33, mostly biopsy, specimens. DNA was then extracted by freeze-thawing. A coagulase gene characteristic of S. aureus was sought. A nested polymerase chain reaction was performed utilizing primers that amplify a region of the coagulase gene. Polymerase chain reaction products were analyzed with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.Only one surgically resected colonic specimen, from a 42-year-old male ulcerative colitis patient, registered positive staphylocoagulase amplification.Staphylococcal superantigens are not involved in either the early lesions or the established lesions of Crohn disease. However, S. aureus infection occasionally may occur during the course of IBD.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the interfacial chemistries occurring in a prototype two-layer polymer light-emitting diode that had been fabricated from PPV and Nafion with ion-exchanged Ru(bpy) 3 2+ . Magnesium and indium tin oxide (ITO) were used as electrodes, and XPS observations were made as the different layers were added sequentially. Specifically, Mg was deposited on a layer of Nafion with incorporated Ru(bpy) 3 2+ , and this was itself deposited on PPV-coated ITO. The morphology of Nafion, which is dictated by the strongly hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups that compose it, is indicated to rearrange with the incorporation of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ ; this rearrangement appears reinforced when a thin film is deposited on PPV. The Mg deposition results in substantial changes in XPS spectra, in part due to a direct interaction with the fluorocarbon backbone of Nafion.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to characterize surfaces of aluminum which have been pretreated by mechanical polishing, acid etching and alkaline etching, as well as given subsequent exposures to air and water. These surfaces can differ markedly with regard to their chemical compositions and topographical structures. Characterizations of these surfaces after exposures to three organosilanes, γ-GPS, BTSE and γ-APS, indicate that the amount of silane adsorbed in each case shows a tendency to increase both with the number of OH groups detected at the oxidized aluminum and with the surface roughness. The XPS data are consistent with the adhesion of γ-APS occurring through H bonding, especially via NH3+ groups.