High Mass Density Research Articles

Elevated Plasma Concentrations of Vitamin D-Binding Protein Are Associated with Lower High-Density Lipoprotein and Higher Fat Mass Index in Overweight and Obese Women.

(1) Background: Observational studies have established that vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D) concentrations are the major factors affecting the bioavailability of 25(OH)D. It has also been shown that poor 25(OH)D bioavailability elevates the risk of obesity and its related cardio-metabolic disorders. However, the relationship between 25(OH)D and DBP concentrations with cardio-metabolic risk factors in overweight and obese cohorts has not been established. Consequently, we evaluated the association between DBP and 25(OH)D concentrations with lipid profile, blood pressure (BP), and body composition in overweight and obese women. (2) Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 236 overweight and obese women, DBP and 25(OH)D concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis. Lipid profile and BP were assessed by an auto-analyzer and digital BP monitor, respectively. The associations were examined by multivariate logistic regression. (3) Results: The indicated showed an inverse relationship between DBP and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (p = 0.010) concentrations (where individuals with higher DBP had lower HDL) which, after adjusting for possible cofounders, remained significant (p = 0.006). Moreover, DBP concentration was positively associated with fat mass index (FMI) after adjustment (p = 0.022). No significant relationships were observed among 25(OH)D and target variables. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, lower concentrations of HDL and higher values of FMI are associated with higher concentrations of DBP in overweight and obese women. These findings present novel awareness regarding the association of DBP with some metabolic and body composition variables in overweight and obese women. However, a two-way causal relationship between DBP and target variables should be considered.

A two parameter iterative approach of multiplication correction for assaying plutonium metal parts with neutron multiplicity counting

To reduce significant biases when assaying high-mass, high-density plutonium parts with neutron multiplicity counting (NMC), a two parameter iterative approach of multiplication correction method was introduced to obtain the correction factors, ki (i=1, 2, 3 and 4), based on the weighted point model. The approach is that firstly groups of correction factor curves are calculated as a function of multiplication for many mass values, then the ki are determined through iteration of both the mass and multiplication. This method was firstly tested with three groups of simulated assays in specific geometries of spherical, hemispherical shells with unknown radius or thickness and of spheres, then validated with one group of experimental assays to seven plutonium metal parts. All the resultant data were consistent to the references, indicating an excellent effect on bias reduction compared to the standard point model analysis. This method has potential implication for assaying spherical and hemi spherical shells of high mass and high density plutonium parts with NMC.

Denser but Not Stronger? Fluoride-Induced Bone Growth and Increased Risk of Hip Fractures

Denser but Not Stronger? Fluoride-Induced Bone Growth and Increased Risk of Hip Fractures

Numerical simulation of carbon arc discharge for graphene synthesis without catalyst

In this study, graphene sheets are prepared under a hydrogen atmosphere without a catalyst, and the growth mechanism of graphene by direct current arc discharge is investigated experimentally and numerically. The size and layer numbers of graphene sheets increase with the arc current. Distributions of temperature, velocity, and mass fraction of carbon are obtained through numerical simulations. A high current corresponds to a high saturation temperature, evaporation rate, and mass density of carbon clusters. When the carbon vapor is saturated, the saturation temperatures are 3274.9, 3313.9, and 3363.6 K, and the mass densities are 6.4 × 1022, 8.42 × 1022, and 1.23 × 1023 m−3 under currents of 150, 200, and 250 A, respectively. A hydrogen-induced marginal growth model is used to explain the growth mechanism. Under a high current, the condensation coefficient and van der Waals force increase owing to the higher saturation temperature and mass density of carbon clusters, which is consistent with experimental results.

2D Gauss-Newton full waveform inversion of SH- and Love-waves in the time domain

Full waveform inversion (FWI) has become a popular and efficient tool for near-surface site characterization. SH- and Love-wave inversion has recently gained attention due to the good sensitivity to mass density and S-wave velocity and the computing advantage over Rayleigh-wave inversion. In this study, we present a new time-domain Gauss-Newton FWI (GN-FWI) method of SH- and Love-waves to extract both mass density and S-wave velocity of soil and rock. The advantage of Gauss-Newton optimization is that the inverse of the regularized Hessian matrix filters, balances, and regularizes the gradient vector to reduce shallow artifacts and resolve deeper structures. To overcome the main challenge of Gauss-Newton approach as high computing demand, we derive analytical formula to compute Jacobian matrix efficiently based on the virtual source and reciprocity theory. The presented method is demonstrated on realistic synthetic and field experiments. The synthetic experiment indicates that the method can characterize a challenging reverse profile with four variable layers of high and low mass density and S-wave velocity. The density and S-wave velocity values and layer interfaces are recovered. The field experiment reveals an 18-m depth subsurface profile, which includes a softer soil layer underlain by stiffer weathered limestone layer. Comparing to invasive Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), the trends of both density and S-wave velocity generally agree with the SPT N-values, including a weak soil zone and weathered limestone. To our best understanding, this is the first study of Gauss-Newton FWI on SH- and Love-waves at any scales.

English

BACKGROUND Lobular breast carcinomas have always been a diagnostic challenge, over the years, to the radiologist. They are one of the most commonly missed lesions on breast cancer screening checks, due to their varied presentation. We wanted to provide a concise and practical approach to characterise their morphology and presentation on mammography and ultrasound. METHODS A retrospective study was done for four years and a total of 699 patients with histopathologically proven breast cancer were chosen. Those patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (N = 56) and invasive ductal carcinoma (N = 538) were segregated and 50 cases from each group were selected randomly. RESULTS On mammography, an irregular, high-density mass was the most common presentation of both lobular (68 %) and ductal (86 %) carcinomas. Presentation as focal asymmetry (28 %) was significantly more prevalent in lobular breast carcinomas. Sonographically, an architectural distortion (30 %) and non-parallel orientation (28 %) was predominantly seen in invasive lobular carcinomas (ILCs). Mass (88 %) with micro lobulated (34 %) or angular (22 %) margins was more in favour of ductal carcinoma. Other general parameters like age at presentation, positive family history, multifocality, bilaterality, tumour size and lymph nodal involvement were not significantly different between both the groups. CONCLUSIONS A careful analysis of digital breast tomosynthesis and ultrasonography, keeping in mind all the clear differentiating features, along with experience in the field, will dramatically increase the early detection of lobular breast cancers. KEY WORDS Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC), Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), X-Ray Mammography, Sono-Mammography

Molecular dynamics study of convective heat transfer in ordered rough nanochannels

Nanostructures can enhance the convective heat transfer process in nanochannels. The ordered rough nanochannels with different periodic sinusoidal structures are established using the molecular dynamics method to explore the internal mechanism of the effects of nanostructures on convective heat transfer. The potential energy distribution, the mass density distribution, the temperature distribution, and the velocity distribution are obtained to analyze the effects on heat transfer and fluid flow caused by different types of ordered rough surfaces. Moreover, the velocity slip length, the thermal length, and the Nusselt number are also calculated. The results show that with the increase in surface roughness, the thermal slip length decreases, and the Nusselt number increases, indicating that the heat transfer process is improved. However, the decrease of velocity slip length indicates that the fluid flow process becomes worse. The expansion of the low potential energy region and the high mass density region enhances the heat transfer process at the solid–liquid interface. The accumulation of more atoms at the solid–liquid interface hinders the development of the flow field and makes the flow process worse. This research provides an understanding of the convective heat transfer in ordered rough nanochannels, which can guide the design of electronic devices' cooling and fluid transport.

Performance enhancement of graphene assisted CNT/Cu composites for lightweight electrical cables

With the increase in electrification, the demand for the functionality and features of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing, and accordingly, the required weight of copper (Cu) is increasing. Additionally, Cu usage increase as the wiring/functions of autonomous vehicles (AVs) increase. Therefore, limited energy efficiency due to the high mass density of Cu electrical cables has become a challenging issue to be overcome. With this trend, carbon-metal core-shell wire is an attractive lightweight material. It remains a challenge to further improve the properties of previously reported carbon-metal core-shell wire. Here, we report CNTF-Cu-Gr wires obtained by introducing graphene into Cu electroplated on CNTFs. Electroplated Cu was coated with graphene via chemical vapor deposition, which also provided synergetic effects, enabling better thermal and electrical properties. These CNTF-Cu-Gr wires exhibit excellent overall performance in terms of mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties and are lightweight. We expect that these dual core-shell wires will be used in practical applications in the near future.

A seismic metamaterial concept with very short resonators using depleted uranium

Depleted uranium (DU) is a metal of very high mass density and, other than a few specialized uses, is treated as a waste product of the uranium enrichment process. To take advantage of its high mass density, we propose a novel application of this metal in elastic/seismic metamaterials. Such use can not only broaden the range of design possibilities for elastic metamaterials but can also give more meaning to the disposition of DU. Five different design concepts are modeled and analyzed using numerical techniques. The band structure comparison of the concepts shows that very low-frequency band gaps in the range of seismic wave frequencies can be achieved with very simple configurations, smaller geometries, and feasible placing arrangements.

Highly electroconductive lightweight graphene fibers with high current-carrying capacity fabricated via sequential continuous electrothermal annealing

The recent increase in demand for miniaturized electronics has necessitated the development of lightweight, narrow, and flexible channels with high current density as next-generation conductors. Despite the high electrical conductivity and current-carrying capacity (i.e., ampacity) of conventional metal conductors (e.g., copper and gold), their high mass density should be overcome for potential weight-critical applications. In this regard, defect-free graphene fibers (GFs) are excellent alternatives owing to their lightweight and high electroconductivity. In this study, GFs were electrothermally annealed at ~3000 K for a very short time (~50 s) via sequential continuous current injection. This treatment led to the carbonization and subsequent graphitization of the GFs, resulting in successful reparation of the structural disorder and crystalline defects of the GFs. This continuous process is advantageous for scaled production of highly electroconductive GFs. The resultant meter-scale GFs exhibit an electrical conductivity of 2721 S cm−1, maximum ampacity of 3.84 × 104 A cm−2, and specific current-carrying capacity of 4.67 × 104 A cm g−1, which are higher than the corresponding values of a commercial copper wire. This study provides a versatile and cost-effective technique for the development of advanced fibers and films as lightweight conductors for relevant applications.

Viewing buoyant force as an application of principle of minimum potential energy

Principle of minimum potential energy (PMPE) as one of the fundamental concept in physics and engineering will be used in this work to explain the phenomenon of buoyancy, why object with lower mass density can float on fluid with higher mass density, while object with higher mass density can sink in fluid with lower mass density. Before that some examples in mecahnics, e.g. object with different vertical position, object on incline, object with spring moving in vertical direction, and final condition of seesaw-like system, will be discussed to show the consequence of PMPE. Then, in the system of solid object and fluid, including the surrounding fluid with the object and treat them as a whole object or system we can easily show that the floating or sinking phonomena are simply a state where system potential energy is miniumum (both object and fluid). For simplicity, the theoretical demonstration will only use the form of block, where the other form, e.g. cylinder, sphere, cone, irregular form, are the matter of geometry difficulty only. Students engagement to the topic has not been performed but the instrument is proposed for future work.

Neuroendocrine Differentiated Breast Cancer Cases: A Retrospective Analysis and Literature Review.

Objectives:Neuroendocrine breast carcinoma (NEBC) is a rare subgroup of breast cancer, which makes up 2–5% of all invasive breast cancers. The aim of this retrospective analysis is to present and analyze our own data of primary NEBCs.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed clinical, pathological, and radiological characteristics of 36 patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine differentiated breast cancer between 2008 and 2019 compared to that of 925 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC/NOS) along with a literature review.Results:In this study, 36 patients with neuroendocrine differentiated breast carcinoma and 961 patients with (IDC/NOS), as the comparison group, were identified between 2008 and 2019. In NEBC patients, seven were premenopausal and 29 postmenopausal. Patients whose ultrasound (USG), magnetic resonance, and mammographic (MMG) images available in our hospital, high-density masses were detected in the MMG with irregular (77%), microlobulated (80%) and spiculated margins (63%), unaccompanied by asymmetry and structural distortion. Calcifications were less common than invasive breast cancer, present only in four patients (17%). When NEBC were compared to ductal carcinomas (n=925), NEBC were more often human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (p=0.039), estrogen receptor positive (p=0.05), progesterone receptor positive (0.03), and the NEBC patients were older (p=0.02). Age, grade, metastatic status, lymph node number, and molecular type were identified as prognostic factors that significantly affect survival in both groups (p<0.05).Conclusion:NEBC is a subtype that is both histopathologically and radiologically distinct from other breast cancer subtypes, and neuroendocrine differentiation may be an important predictive marker in the future.

A Case of Hepatic Angiomyolipoma Treated with Laparoscopic Partial Hepatectomy

We report a case of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) treated with laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. A 28-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further examination of a hepatic mass. History: tuberous sclerosis, epilepsy, developmental disorders, renal angiomyolipoma. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a 68 × 55 × 65 mm highly echogenic tumor in the segment 2 of the liver. Abdominal CT with contrast enhancement revealed a high density mass in the same segment. Core needle biopsy was performed, and the tumor was diagnosed as HAML since immunohistochemical stainings was positive for both human melanoma black-45 and α-smooth muscle actin.

Effect of water contamination on transmissivity behaviour of nonwoven geotextile

Nonwoven geotextiles are one of the most widely used geosynthetic materials in drainage and filtration in geotechnical engineering works and applications. In the present study, drainage property of geotextile fabric with three levels of water contamination (20, 40, and 60 gpl) and with clean water has been studied with the variation of transverse loads (1, 3, 5, and 7 kPa) and fabric mass density (300, 600, and 900 g/m2). Transmissivity of geotextile is found to be lower at higher level of water contamination. The effect of water contamination concentration is higher for fabric with higher mass density. However, the effect of contamination on geotextile material is lower at higher transverse load. The effect of transverse load on transmissivity of geotextile is higher for 300 g/m2 as compared to 600 and 900 g/m2. Although the reduction in transmissivity of fabric with higher mass density (900 g/m2) is higher, still the fabric exhibits better transmissivity behaviour as compared to 300 and 600 g/m2.

Insights of Heteroatoms Doping‐Enhanced Bifunctionalities on Carbon Based Energy Storage and Conversion

AbstractEver‐developing energy storage technologies demand the pursuit of advanced materials with multiple functionalities. Recent studies revealed that multiple heteroatom‐doped carbon has been wildly used for bi‐functional or even tri‐functional energy storage and conversion. However, few efforts have been made to uncover the origin of multi‐functionalities. Herein, a nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur tri‐doped carbon is designed in this work with large porosity, rich heteroatoms doping and high mass density, exhibiting excellent bifunctionalities on supercapacitors and oxygen reduction reaction. Importantly, the density functional theory calculations demonstrate the relevant co‐doping and tri‐doping generate more active sites on neighboring carbon atoms than single doping, and the same type of active sites may enhance bifunctionalities simultaneously. The present investigations provide a promising guidance on the design of multi‐functional materials for future energy storage and conversion applications.

The Rapid Buildup of Massive Early-type Galaxies: Supersolar Metallicity, High Velocity Dispersion, and Young Age for an Early-type Galaxy at z = 3.35

Abstract How massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) assembled their mass, on which timescales the star formation quenched, and when their supersolar metallicity has been established are still open and debated issues. Thanks to very deep spectroscopic observations carried out at the Large Binocular Telescope, we simultaneously measured stellar age, metallicity, and velocity dispersion for C1-23152, an ETG at redshift z = 3.352, corresponding to an epoch when the universe was ∼1.8 Gyr old. The analysis of its spectrum shows that this galaxy, hosting an active galactic nucleus (AGN), formed and assembled ∼2 × 1011 M ⊙, shaping its morphology within the ∼600 Myr preceding the observations, since z ∼ 4.6. The stellar population has a mean mass-weighted age of Myr, and it is formed between ∼600 and ∼150 Myr before the observed epoch, the latter being the time since quenching. Its high stellar velocity dispersion, σ e = 409 ± 60 km s−1, confirms the high mass (M dyn = 2.2 (±0.4) × 1011 M ⊙) and the high mass density ( = Σ1kpc = 3.2 (±0.7) × 1010 M ⊙ kpc−2), suggesting a fast dissipative process at its origin. The analysis points toward a supersolar metallicity, [Z/H] = 0.25 , in agreement with the above picture, suggesting a star formation efficiency much higher than the replenishment time. However, subsolar-metallicity values cannot be firmly ruled out by our analysis. Quenching must have been extremely efficient to reduce the star formation to SFR &lt; 6.5 M ⊙ yr−1 in less than 150 Myr. This could be explained by the presence of the AGN, even if a causal relation cannot be established from the data. C1-23152 has the same stellar and physical properties of the densest ETGs in the local universe of comparable mass, suggesting that they are C1-23152-like galaxies that evolved to z = 0 unperturbed.

Discovery of a novel camphor-based fluorescent probe for Co2+ in fresh vegetables with high selectivity and sensitivity

Cobalt is an essential micronutrient for human beings. The excessive intake of cobalt may lead to heart-related diseases. In this work, a novel fluorescent probe 1,1′-(((6,11,11-trimethyl-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-6,9-methanopyridazino[4,5-b]quinoxaline-1,4-diyl)bis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(naphthalen-2-ol) (PDS) was synthesized from camphor. The probe PDS could be utilized to selectively recognize Co2+ over other metal ions. There is a good linear relationship between fluorescence intensity of PDS and Co2+ concentration within 0–20 μM, and its detection limt was found to be 0.925 μM, which is far lower than the national standard for cobalt in drinking water in China. The possible coordination mechanism of PDS with Co2+ was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and density functional theory (DFT). The probe PDS was also successfully applied in detection of Co2+ in tap water and fresh vegetables.

Effects of Sample Geometry on Micro-Mechanical Property of Single Crystal Gold for Applications in Microelectronics

This study reports mechanical properties of single-crystal pure gold toward for applications as movable components in micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensors requiring high sensitivity. Gold is commonly applied in electronic devices because of the excellent corrosion resistance, chemical stability, and conductivity. Recently, MEMS inertial sensors utilizing gold materials are reported to have low Brownian noise and high sensitivity while keeping the dimensions small by taking advantage of gold’s high mass density [1]. For design of electronic device, mechanical property characterization of the constituent material is essential. In general, mechanical strengths of metallic materials are governed by movement of the dislocation, and the dislocation movement is affected by the crystal orientation, grain boundaries, texture, impurities, etc. In addition to these, mechanical properties of metallic materials are affected by size of the sample used in the evaluation when the sample size is reduced to micro or sub-micro scale, which is known as the sample size effect [2]. This sample size effect would cause mechanical properties of micro-scale metallic materials to differ from those of bulk-size materials. Therefore, in order to make contribution to design of MEMS devices, the mechanical property characterization must be conducted using specimens having dimensions and deformation system alike components used in MEMS.Micro-bending test is suggested to be the most suitable micro-mechanical property characterization method toward MEMS devices since movable components in a MEMS device would experience both compressive and tensile stresses during operation. Regarding the sample size effect, the strength has a power-law relationship with cross-sectional area of the specimen [2]. In bending test, the loading direction is perpendicular to the cantilever’s width direction and parallel to the thickness direction. Because of this, the width and the thickness are expected to affect the sample size effect differently. On the other hand, the dislocation movable is also highly affected by the grain boundary and eventually the sample size effect [3]. Hence, single crystalline specimen is often used to examine the sample size effect to eliminate influences from the grain boundary.In this study, micro-cantilevers composed of single-crystal pure gold were fabricated using focus ion beam (FIB). All micro-cantilevers were ensured to have the loading direction parallel to the [1-10] orientation and the neutral plane parallel to the [110] orientation. Lengths of the micro-cantilevers were fixed at 50 μm. The thicknesses and widths were varied between 5 to 15 μm. The bending test was performed using a machine specially designed for micro-specimens developed in our group as shown in Fig. 1. The strain rate was fixed at 0.125 %/sec. Fig. 2 shows scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the 50×9.7×10.5 μm3 micro-cantilever before and after the micro-bending test. From these images, slip lines and necking were observed at the base of the cantilever where stress and deformation were concentrated after the bending test. This slip lines indicated the active slip plane according to the Schmid’s law. The engineering stresses, σ, were calculated utilizing the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory [4]. The engineering strains are calculated from ratio of the d/y [5], where d is displacement of tip of the indenter. Fig. 3 shows engineering stress-engineering strain curves of the five micro-cantilevers. Yield stresses of the 6.9, 10.5, and 15.1 μm thick micro-cantilevers were 195, 175, and 128 MPa, respectively. Yield stress of the 4.7, 9.7, and 15.1μm width micro-cantilevers were 177, 175, and 183 MPa, respectively. These yield stresses were all lager than the value of bulk-size pure gold, which were results of the sample size effect. In addition, the yield stress increased as the thickness decreased, whereas it does not change much with the width reduction. This result suggested the sample size effect was only observed when changing the thickness, but not the width. These findings confirmed mechanical properties of micro-cantilevers were affected by the sample geometry, which is named as the sample geometry effect.[1] D. Yamane, T. Konishi, T. Matsushima, K. Machida, H. Toshiyoshi, and K. Masu, Appl. Phys. Lett. 104 (2014) 074102[2] J.R. Greer, W.C. Oliver, W.D. Nix, Acta. Mater. 53 (2005) 1821-1830.[3] J.R. Greer and J.Th.M. De Hosson, Prog. Mater. Sci. 56 (2011) 654-724 (2011).[4] K. Asano, T.F.M. Chang, H.C. Tang, T. Nagoshi, C.Y. Chen, D. Yamane, H. Ito, K. Machida, K. Masu, M. Sone, ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol., 8 (2019) P412-P415.[5] E. Demir, D. Raabe, F. Roters, Acta. Mater. 58 (2010) 1876-1886. Figure 1

(Invited) Thick-Cathode All Solid High Energy Batteries with Improved Interphases

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) could significantly improve safety and energy density over the conventional liquid cells. One key enabling technology is solid electrolytes. NASICON-type Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 is a very attractive solid-state electrolyte for the cathode side due to its high oxidation potential and high ionic conductivity. The usage, however, is limited by its large interfacial resistances against most of the cathode materials as well as the thermodynamic instability during high temperature sintering needed to achieve high mass density. I will report our recent effort to construct a thin, percolative, and mixed conductive interphases through in-situ low melting-point liquid sintering. These mixed conductive interphases drastically improve the kinetics, leading to high-loading cathodes and potentially more than 400 Wh/Kg SSBs.

Cytological Features of Pulmonary Papillary Adenoma with Malignant Transformation and Literature Review.

Papillary adenoma of the lung is a rather rare tumor. We will present a case of papillary adenoma in the lung with malignant transformation in a 65-year-old male patient. A high dense soft tissue mass was detected in the lateral segment of the right middle lobe by CT examination. Cytologically, the tumor contained the benign cells similar to normal alveolar epithelium and the malignant cells which were significantly enlarged and irregular, crowded, or overlapping. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the epithelial cells were diffusely positive for TTF-1, napsin-A, and CK7, but were negative for p63, p40, CK5/6, CgA, Syn, CD56, and TG. The Ki67 index was about 5%. All of these evidences indicated that it was a case of papillary adenoma with malignant transformation. Thus, it should be noted that more active treatment measures should be taken to treat pulmonary papillary adenoma.