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Acoustic emission (AE) signals from weld defects, incomplete penetration (IP), slag inclusion (SI), and porosity (PR), in longitudinal seam welding of UOE steel pipes were evaluated by using an envelope analysis system and waveform analysis system. In test results, the location accuracy of the envelope and the waveform systems during the loading tests were a few 10 mm and a few mm, respectively. AE activity and intensity and waveform type could identify the welding defect types. Three types of AE spherical radiation patterns (AERPs), a monopole mode, a tensile fracture of dipole mode, and a tensile and shear mixed of dipole mode, were observed during the test. Information from cross section observation of the IP by SEM and AERP suggested that activity and intensity of AE signals from welding defects could depend on both stress concentration of the defect and brittleness of the microstructure around the defect.

We developed high sensitive anisotropic magneto resistive sensor and used it for eddy current testing (ECT). Due to the high magnetic field sensitivity of AMR sensor at low frequency, the ECT system can be used to detect deep defect. The excitation coil was 50 turns with the diameter of about 30 mm. The amplitude of the excitation current was about 20 mA. The AMR sensor was put at the center of the excitation coil, and the sensing direction of the AMR sensor was parallel with the plane of the excitation coil. By this arrangement, the background field produced the excitation coil can be compensated. Using this ECT system, we successfully detect the deep crack defect in an aluminum plate with the depth of 15 mm, and the signal-to-noise ratio was best for the excitation frequency of 32Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients who undergo surgical extirpation of a primary liver carcinoma followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy leading to complete remission are nevertheless known to develop cancerous metastases 3-10 years later. We retrospectively examined the blood sera collected over 8 years from 30 patients who developed bone metastases after the complete remission of liver cancer to identify serum proteins showing differential expression compared to patients without remission. We detected a novel RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp)-containing peptide derived from the C-terminal portion of fibrinogen in the sera of metastatic patients that appeared to control the EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) of cancer cells, in a process associated with miR-199a-3p. The RGD peptide enhanced new blood vessel growth and increased vascular endothelial growth factor levels when introduced into fertilized chicken eggs. The purpose of this study was to enable early detection of metastatic cancer cells using the novel RGD peptide as a biomarker, and thereby develop new drugs for the treatment of metastatic cancer., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report on the progress in the development of linear polarization-variable multi-electrode emitters for terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The results on its microfabrication, the finite element method modeling of appropriate bias distribution between electrodes, the finite-difference time-domain simulated spectral output, and actual experimental testing are presented. The rotation of the emitted terahertz field with linear polarization on an angle multiple of 45° can be achieved by synchronized bias and single polarizer rotations.

By using optical sampling with repetition frequency modulation of pump/probe laser pulses on photoconductive emitter/detector antennas, the high-speed time/frequency domain gigahertz imaging is reported due to the absence of opto-mechanical delay line in this optical scheme. The clear contrast for a 3-cm wide metal plate, which was placed behind a 5-cm thick concrete block, was observed with a 1 × 1 mm image pixilation. On average, it took only ~0.75 s per pixel/waveform acquisition/assignment with a 675 ps time-domain window. This could become a valuable non-destructive evaluation technique in gigahertz spectral range with all benefits of time-domain spectroscopy.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role in insulin resistance, which is characterized by the impairment of the insulin-Akt signaling pathway. However, the time course of the decrease in AMPK and Akt phosphorylation in the liver during the development of obesity and insulin resistance caused by feeding a high fat diet (HFD) remains controversial. Moreover, it is unclear whether the impairment of AMPK and Akt signaling pathways is reversible when changing from a HFD to a standard diet (SD). Male ddY mice were fed the SD or HFD for 3 to 28 days, or fed the HFD for 14 days, followed by the SD for 14 days. We examined the time course of the expression and phosphorylation levels of AMPK and Akt in the liver by immunoblotting. After 3 days of feeding on the HFD, mice gained body weight, resulting in an increased oil red O staining, indicative of hepatic lipid accumulation, and significantly decreased AMPK phosphorylation, in comparison with mice fed the SD. After 14 days on the HFD, systemic insulin resistance occurred and Akt phosphorylation significantly decreased. Subsequently, a change from the HFD to SD for 3 days, after 14 days on the HFD, ameliorated the impairment of AMPK and Akt phosphorylation and systemic insulin resistance. Our findings indicate that AMPK phosphorylation decreases early upon feeding a HFD and emphasizes the importance of prompt lifestyle modification for decreasing the risk of developing diabetes.

While terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a well-established technique, polarization sensitive measurements are challenging due to the need of broadband polarization devices. Here, we characterize our recently introduced multi-contact photoconductive detector antenna with a response matrix analysis. We show that the lead lines attached to electrodes reduce the antenna symmetry and thereby influence the properties of the response matrices. With a wire grid polarizer, we simulate a sample influencing the polarization angle and the intensity of the incident THz pulse. Evaluating the measurements with the response matrix analysis, our results show a well agreement of the adjusted and measured polarization angles and intensities over a frequency range from 0.25 to 0.8 THz.