Mapping Current Fields in a Bay Using a Coast-Fitting Tomographic Inversion.

Coast-fitting tomographic inversion that is based on function expansion using three types of normal modes (the Dirichlet, Neumann, and open boundary modes) is proposed to reconstruct current fields from the coastal acoustic tomography (CAT) data. The superiority of the method was validated while using CAT data that were obtained in 2015 in the Dalian Bay. The semidiurnal tidal and residual current fields were accurately reconstructed over the entire model domain surrounded by coasts and open boundaries. The proposed method was effective, particularly around the peripheral regions of the tomography domain and the near-coast regions outside the domain, where accurate results are not expected from the conventional inverse method based on function expansion by Fourier function series with no coast fittings. The error velocity for the semidiurnal tidal currents was 2.2 cm s-1, which was calculated from the root-mean-square-difference between the CAT-observed and inverted range-averaged currents that were obtained along the nine peripheral transmission paths. The error velocity for the residual currents estimated from the 12-h mean net residual transport at the bay mouth was 0.9 cm s-1. The errors were significantly smaller than the amplitude of the tidal and residual currents.

Autonomous patterning of cells on microstructured fine particles.

Regularly patterned cells can clarify cellular function and are required in some biochip applications. This study examines cell patterning along microstructures and the effect of microstructural geometry on selective cellular adhesion. Particles can be autonomously assembled on a soda-lime glass substrate that is chemically patterned by immersion in a suspension of fine particles. By adopting various sizes of fine particles, we can control the geometry of the microstructure. Cells adhere more readily to microstructured fine particles than to flat glass substrate. Silica particles hexagonally packed in 5-40 µm line and space microstructures provide an effective cell scaffold on the glass substrate. Cultured cells tend to attach and proliferate along the microstructured region while avoiding the flat region. The difference in cell adhesion is attributed to their geometries, as both of the silica particles and soda-lime glass are hydrophilic related with cell adhesiveness. After cell seeding, cells adhered to the flat region migrated toward the microstructured region. For most of the cells to assemble on the scaffold, the scaffolding microstructures must be spaced by at most 65 µm.

Measuring the Kuroshio Current with ocean acoustic tomography.

Ocean current profiling using ocean acoustic tomography (OAT) was conducted in the Kuroshio Current southeast of Taiwan from August 20 to September 15, 2009. Sound pulses were transmitted reciprocally between two acoustic stations placed near the underwater sound channel axis and separated by 48 km. Based on the result of ray simulation, the received signals are divided into multiple ray groups because it is difficult to resolve the ray arrivals for individual rays. The average differential travel times from these ray groups are used to reconstruct the vertical profiles of currents. The currents are estimated with respect to the deepest water layer via two methods: An explicit solution and an inversion with regularization. The strong currents were confined to the upper 200 m and rapidly weakened toward 500 m in depth. Both methods give similar results and are consistent with shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler results in the upper 150 m. The observed temporal variation demonstrates a similar trend to the prediction from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model.

Effects of adipocytes on the proliferation and differentiation of prostate cancer cells in a 3-D culture model.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the mechanism of adipocyte-prostate cancer cell interaction affects the proliferation and differentiation of prostate cancer cells. METHODS: An androgen-dependent cell line (LNCaP), two androgen-independent cell lines (PC-3, DU145), and mature adipocytes harvested from male Wistar rats were used. Cancer cells were co-cultured with the isolated mature adipocytes in 3-D collagen gel matrix culture. The morphology and proliferative ability of the prostate cancer cells were examined. With regard to the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, the expression of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), Akt and Bad were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: LNCaP cells co-cultured with adipocytes formed larger clusters than those of the control. PC-3 cells co-cultured with adipocytes did not form larger clusters, but formed spherical and spindle-shaped cells. The phosphorylation of Akt in PC-3 cells was greater in the co-cultured group compared with the controls, but there were no significant differences in the phosphorylation of Akt with regard to LNCaP and DU145 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Adipocytes could modulate the proliferation and differentiation of prostate cancer cell lines. Activation of the PI3K pathway might be involved in the prostate cancer cell-adipocyte interaction.

[Metachronous testicular seminoma with an interval of 14 years from the first nonseminomatous testicular tumor: a case report].

A 32-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of right scrotal swelling. He had a past history of left testicular nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT), stage IIB 14 years ago. He had undergone chemotherapy with 3 courses of PEP and retroperitoneal lymphnode dissection revealing pathological CR. He was diagnosed as having right testicular tumor. He underwent right high orchiectomy. Imaging studies and pathological studies revealed pure seminoma with spermatic cord invasion, stage I, pT3N0M0. He underwent chemotherapy with 3 courses of VIP. Herein we present a case of metachronous bilateral testicular germ cell tumor with a review of literatures.

[Distribution of clinically significant small cancer of the prostate in radical prostatectomy specimens].

BACKGROUND: In patients with prostate cancel, radical prostatectomy specimen frequently exhibits non-organ confined disease. We should detect clinically significant small cancer to cure the patients, because tumor volume is one of factors with respect to progression of prostate cancer. The distribution of clinically significant small cancer foci of the prostate was studied to determine an adequate sampling portion in needle biopsy using the maps of radical prostatectomy specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven cases with less than 1.5 cc tumor volume in the main cancer focus who underwent radical prostatectomy were pathologically evaluated using step-sectioned specimens. RESULTS: Seventy three clinically significant cancer foci with less than 1.5 cc tumor volume were recognized. Forty six of 73 foci (63.0%) existed only in the lateral aspect of the prostate compared to 14 foci (19.2%) only in the mid-lobe aspect. The remaining 13 foci (17.8%) existed in both aspects. Moreover, 53 of 73 foci (72.6%) were detected in lateral aspect of the middle and apex of the prostate. CONCLUSION: Systematic biopsy including sampling of lateral aspect in the apex and middle portion of the prostate may improve the detection of clinically significant cancer with small tumor volume.