Painful unilateral gynecomastia with identification of the cause of the pain: A case report

A 69-year-old man presented with a one-month history of a painful mass in the right breast. Pathologic evaluation of the excision of the mass revealed a proliferation of both glandular and stromal elements consistent with gynecomastia. In addition, histologic examination revealed peripheral nerves in the deep portion of the specimen were entrapped in the proliferative changes associated with gynecomastia. It is proposed that the expansile proliferation led to compressive pressure on the nerves and caused the pain associated with gynecomastia.

High-Density Patterned Array Bonding through Void-Free Divinyl Siloxane Bis-Benzocyclobutene Bonding Process

Divinylsiloxane-bis-benzocyclobutene (DVS-BCB) has attracted significant attention as an intermediate bonding material, owing to its excellent properties. However, its applications are limited, due to damage to peripheral devices at high curing temperatures and unoptimized compressive pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the compressive pressure condition for DVS-BCB bonding. This study demonstrates an optimization process for void-free DVS-BCB bonding. The process for obtaining void-free DVS-BCB bonding is a vacuum condition of 0.03 Torr, compressive pressure of 0.6 N/mm2, and curing temperature of 250 °C for 1 h. Herein, we define two factors affecting the DVS-BCB bonding quality through the DVS-BCB bonding mechanism. For strong DVS-BCB bonding, void-free and high-density chemical bonds are required. Therefore, we observed the DVS-BCB bonding under various compressive pressure conditions at a relatively low temperature (250 °C). The presence of voids and high-density crosslinking density was examined through near-infrared confocal laser microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared microscopy. We also evaluated the adhesion of the DVS-BCB bonding, using a universal testing machine. The results suggest that the good adhesion with no voids and high crosslinking density was obtained at the compressive pressure condition of 0.6 N/mm2. We believe that the proposed process will be of great significance for applications in semiconductor and device packaging technologies.

A Design Study of Orthotic Shoe Based on Pain Pressure Measurement Using Algometer for Calcaneal Spur Patients

The pressure pain threshold (PPT) is a useful tool for evaluating mechanical sensitivity in individuals suffering from various musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate PPT at the heel area in order to assist in the design of orthotic shoes for sufferers of heel pain due to a calcaneal spur. The size and location of the calcaneal spur was determined by x-ray images, with PPT data measured around the spur at five points by using algometer FDIX 25. The pain test experiment was conducted by pressing each point to obtain the pain minimum compressive pressure (PMCP) and its location. The information of shoe size, spur location and dimensions, and the PMCP location for each individual is used to obtain the exact point location for applying a softer material to the shoe in-sole, in order to reduce heel pain. The results are significant as it can be used by designers to design appropriate shoe in-soles for individuals suffering from heel pain.

lncRNA HHIP-AS1 Promotes the Osteogenic Differentiation Potential and Inhibits the Migration Ability of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells

Alveolar bone remodeling under orthodontic force is achieved by periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), which are sensitive to mechanical loading. How to regulate functions of PDLSCs is a key issue in bone remodeling during orthodontic tooth movement. This study is aimed at investigating the roles of lncRNA Hedgehog-interacting protein antisense RNA 1 (HHIP-AS1) in the functional regulation of PDLSCs. First, HHIP-AS1 expression was downregulated in PDLSCs under continuous compressive pressure. Then, we found that the alkaline phosphatase activity, in vitro mineralization, and expression levels of bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, and osterix were increased in PDLSCs by HHIP-AS1. The results of scratch migration and transwell chemotaxis assays revealed that HHIP-AS1 inhibited the migration and chemotaxis abilities of PDLSCs. In addition, the RNA sequencing data showed that 356 mRNAs and 14 lncRNAs were upregulated, including receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 and nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1, while 185 mRNAs and 6 lncRNAs were downregulated, including fibroblast growth factor 5 and LINC00973, in HHIP-AS1-depleted PDLSCs. Bioinformatic analysis revealed several biological processes and signaling pathways related to HHIP-AS1 functions, including the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In conclusion, our findings indicated that HHIP-AS1 was downregulated in PDLSCs under compressive pressure, and it promoted the osteogenic differentiation potential and inhibited the migration and chemotaxis abilities of PDLSCs. Thus, HHIP-AS1 may be a potential target for accelerating tooth movement during orthodontic treatment.

Influence of aluminium content on the microstructure and densification of spark plasma sintered nickel aluminium bronze

In this study, nickel aluminium bronze alloys (NAB) with appreciable densification and improved microhardness was consolidated via spark plasma sintering technique. The NAB alloy was synthesized from starting elemental powders comprised nickel (4 wt.%), aluminium (6, 8 & 10 wt.%) and copper using dry milling technique. Starting powders were homogeneously milled using gentle ball mill for 8 h at a speed of 150 rpm and a BPR of 10:1. Subsequently, the milled powders were consolidated using the spark plasma sintering technique at 750 °C under a compressive pressure of 50 MPa and rate of heating (100 °C/min). Furthermore, the powders and sintered alloys were characterized using SEM and XRD to ascertain the microstructural and phase evolutions during the synthesis of the NAB. The density and microhardness of the alloys were further investigated to ascertain the integrity of the sintered alloys. The results indicated that the increase in aluminium content resulted in the formation of intermetallic and beta phases on the alloy after sintering and the microhardness of the alloys improved with the increase in aluminium content.

Development of Semi-Crouching Assistive Device Using Pneumatic Artificial Muscle

This paper describes a semi-crouching assistive device using pneumatic artificial muscles. The goal of this device is to reduce the load on the lower back when performing work in the semi-crouching position. The load on the lower back is reduced by decreasing the compressive pressure on the lumbar disk of the lower back. This compressive pressure increases as the contraction force of the erector spine increases. Therefore, it is important to reduce the muscle activity of the erector spine. Based on the analytical result of a worker’s position model, the proposed device adopts a scheme to push the chest of the user as an appropriate assistive method. Additionally, the analytical result shows that a reduction in weight of the device is also important for decreasing the load on the lower back. Based on these results, we prototyped a lightweight semi-crouching assistive device that can generate sufficient assistive force via a pneumatic artificial muscle, which has high power to weight ratio. This device was experimentally evaluated via electromyogram of the erector spine when the user maintains a semi-crouching position. The experimental results confirmed the usefulness of this device.

Carrying Capacity of Agricultural Land in Mojolaban Subdistrict, Sukoharjo – Central Java

Analysis of the carrying capacity of agricultural land is one of the evaluation tools for sustainable development that can provide an overview of the relationship among population, agricultural land and the environment. This research aims to analyse the carrying capacity of agricultural land in each village in Mojolaban Subdistrict. Analysis of the carrying capacity of land in this research uses a concept developed by Sumarwoto (1985) where the magnitude of the carrying capacity of agricultural land is inversely proportional to population pressure. The results show that the carrying capacity of agricultural land in Mojolaban Subdistrict is inversely proportional to the population compressive pressure on agricultural land. Generally, the carrying capacity for agricultural land in Mojolaban Subdistrict is low level. There are 11 villages (73%) which have low carrying capacity for agricultural land and only 4 villages (27%) which have high carrying capacity of agricultural land.

Expected lifetime of fibrous nanogenerator exposed to cyclic compressive pressure

In this paper, in order to identify the lifetime of energy scavenging devices, the effect of a cyclic compressive load on the performance of polyvinylidene fluoride micro-nano fibrous nanogenerators was investigated, and the electrical output of layers was measured at different cycles and frequencies. Results showed that as the number of cycles increased at the constant frequency, the electrical output initially largely increased and then reached to a maximum level with a very gentle slope. Moreover, the crystalline structure and β-phase of the PVDF nanofibrous mats improved by applying a periodic compressive force. This study showed that, although the PVDF electrospun micro-nano fibers have suitable piezoelectric properties, it is necessary to make some post-treatment to fabricate an energy harvester with constant performance. Results also showed that when the number of cycles at a constant frequency increased, mechanical properties also improved. These results enable us to have an idea about the expected lifetime of a fibrous nanogenerator exposed to cyclic compressive pressure.

Evaluation of Ni62Nb38 Bimetallic Glass Formation under Hydrostatically Pressurised Quenching

In this present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been performed to investigate the influence of applied hydrostatic compressive and tensile pressure on glass forming process of Ni62Nb38 bimetallic glass using embedded atom method (EAM). During fast cooling (~10 K ps-1), tensile and compressive pressure has been applied having 0.001 GPa,0.01 GPa and 0.1 GPa magnitude. The glass transition temperature (Tg) for each pressurized (Tensile and Compressive nature) cooling case has been calculated and Tg is found to be dependent on both magnitude and nature of the pressure applied during cooling process.Voronoi cluster analysis has also been carried out to identify the structural evaluation during hydrostatically pressurised fast cooling process. In case of both hydrostatic tensile and compressive pressurised cooling processes, Tgincreases with the increase of pressure from 0.001 GPa to 0.1 GPa in magnitude.