The structure of molten CuCl: Reverse Monte Carlo modeling with high-energy X-ray diffraction data and molecular dynamics of a polarizable ion model.

The results of the structural properties of molten copper chloride are reported from high-energy X-ray diffraction measurements, reverse Monte Carlo modeling method, and molecular dynamics simulations using a polarizable ion model. The simulated X-ray structure factor reproduces all trends observed experimentally, in particular the shoulder at around 1 Å(-1) related to intermediate range ordering, as well as the partial copper-copper correlations from the reverse Monte Carlo modeling, which cannot be reproduced by using a simple rigid ion model. It is shown that the shoulder comes from intermediate range copper-copper correlations caused by the polarized chlorides.

Ground-based assessment of JAXA mouse habitat cage unit by mouse phenotypic studies.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the mouse Habitat Cage Unit (HCU) for installation in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) onboard the Japanese Experimental Module ("Kibo") on the International Space Station. The CBEF provides "space-based controls" by generating artificial gravity in the HCU through a centrifuge, enabling a comparison of the biological consequences of microgravity and artificial gravity of 1 g on mice housed in space. Therefore, prior to the space experiment, a ground-based study to validate the habitability of the HCU is necessary to conduct space experiments using the HCU in the CBEF. Here, we investigated the ground-based effect of a 32-day housing period in the HCU breadboard model on male mice in comparison with the control cage mice. Morphology of skeletal muscle, the thymus, heart, and kidney, and the sperm function showed no critical abnormalities between the control mice and HCU mice. Slight but significant changes caused by the HCU itself were observed, including decreased body weight, increased weights of the thymus and gastrocnemius, reduced thickness of cortical bone of the femur, and several gene expressions from 11 tissues. Results suggest that the HCU provides acceptable conditions for mouse phenotypic analysis using CBEF in space, as long as its characteristic features are considered. Thus, the HCU is a feasible device for future space experiments.

Clinicopathologic assessment of pancreatic ductal carcinoma located at the head of the pancreas, in relation to embryonic development.

OBJECTIVES: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is performed for pancreatic head cancer that originated from the dorsal or ventral primordium. Although the extent of lymph node (LN) dissection is the same irrespective of the origin, the lymphatic continuities may differ between the 2 primordia. METHODS: Between March 2003 and September 2010, 152 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer. One hundred six patients were assigned into 2 groups according to tumor location on preoperative computed tomography, and their clinical and pathological features were retrospectively analyzed in view of the embryonic development of the pancreas. RESULTS: Sixty of 106 patients were classified with tumors that were derived from the dorsal pancreas (D group) and 46 from the ventral pancreas (V group). The frequency of LN involvement around the middle colic artery (LN 15) in the D group was higher than in the V group (P = 0.008). The rate of additional resection of the pancreas tended to be higher in the D group (P = 0.067). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed the detailed pattern of spread of pancreatic ductal carcinoma to the LNs and provided important information for determining the optimal surgical strategy.

Medium-range correlation of Ag ions in superionic melts of Ag2Se and AgI by reverse Monte Carlo structural modelling-connectivity and void distribution.

High-energy x-ray diffraction measurements on molten Ag(2)Se were performed. Partial structure factors and radial distribution functions were deduced by reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) structural modelling on the basis of our new x-ray and earlier published neutron diffraction data. These partial functions were compared with those of molten AgI. Both AgI and Ag(2)Se have a superionic solid phase prior to melting. New RMC structural modelling for molten AgI was performed to revise our previous model with a bond-angle restriction to reduce the number of unphysical Ag triangles. The refined model of molten AgI revealed that isolated unbranched chains formed by Ag ions are the cause of the medium-range order of Ag. In contrast with molten AgI, molten Ag(2)Se has 'cage-like' structures with approximately seven Ag ions surrounding a Se ion. Connectivity analysis revealed that most of the Ag ions in molten Ag(2)Se are located within 2.9 Å of each other and only small voids are found, which is in contrast to the wide distribution of Ag-void radii in molten AgI. It is conjectured that the collective motion of Ag ions through small voids is required to realize the well-known fast diffusion of Ag ions in molten Ag(2)Se, which is comparable to that in molten AgI.

Simultaneous Doppler measurement of portal venous peak velocity, hepatic arterial peak velocity, and splenic arterial pulsatility index for assessment of hepatic circulation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Quantitative Doppler assessment of hepatic circulation is widely performed in patients with cirrhosis. Since few studies have attempted to evaluate the various parameters simultaneously, we sought to examine the applicability and possible advantages of such simultaneous measurement for assessment of hepatic function. METHODOLOGY: In 64 patients (21 with cirrhosis, 17 with chronic hepatitis, and 26 with no liver disorder) we prospectively performed Doppler measurement of right portal venous peak velocity (PVPV), right hepatic arterial peak systolic velocity (HAPSV) and splenic arterial pulsatility index (SAPI) and calculated a novel parameter, the hepatic circulatory index (HCI). The HCI was calculated using the formula: HCI (cm2/s2) = PVPV (cm/s) x HAPSV (cm/s)/SAPI. RESULTS: Not every Doppler parameter was useful in itself for quantitative assessment of liver function. On the other hand, hepatic circulatory index was significantly higher in controls (1275.1 +/- 297.5) than in patients with hepatitis (931.7 +/- 270.5, P = 0.0003), or cirrhosis (586.4 +/- 264.9, P < 0.0001) and was highly correlated with the plasma clearance rate of indocyanine green (KICG; r = 0.848, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic circulatory index was correlated with KICG, which reflects hepatic circulation. The hepatic circulatory index is a novel parameter of hepatic circulation that can be measured easily at bedside, accurately reflecting hepatic circulatory status.