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Controllability quantification and model reduction of complex systems play an important role in many scientific and engineering fields. For this problem, the authors proposed a data-driven method based on statistical learning using neural networks, which we refer to as the control-oriented autoencoder. The important feature is that it is applicable to nonlinear systems, and that a suitable nonlinear projection can be given. For some systems, however, the method is excessively sensitive to computational error. In this paper, we analyze these phenomena from an over-fitting viewpoint, and enhance the robustness via denoising technique.

In power network management, the heat capacity of transmission lines originally arises from the line temperature constraint. The line temperatures are affected not only by the Joule heat but also by the thermal environment. This motivates us to exploit weather forecast data to improve the power management performance. The goal of this paper is to propose a stochastic model predictive control scheme for this purpose. In particular, we compensate for the probabilistic uncertainty by means of chance constraint optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is examined through numerical simulation of power grids under the area dependent uncertainty and transmission line failure.

A non-gravid female Onchocercawas found in histopathological sections of a biopsy specimen taken from a painful nodule in the wrist of a 57-year-old woman in Oita, in southern Japan. Six species of Onchocercahave been found in animals in Japan: two in wild bovids, one in equids, and three in domestic bovids of which one, Onchocercasp., is only known by the microfilaria and infective stage. Distinctive morphological features of the worm, including a three-layered thick cuticle with prominent annular ridges at wide intervals, high somatic muscles and narrow lateral chords, resembled those of O. gutturosa, one of the three bovine Onchocercaspecies transmitted in the Oita region. However Onchocercasp., which is also transmitted in this region, cannot be excluded.

A stable calcium alginate membrane was successfully prepared. The membrane performs a superior molecular size screening between 60 Da (urea) and 60 4Da (Bordeaux S). The effective diffusion coefficient in the membrane was changed 2.5 × 104-fold even when our tested molecular size was only 10-fold. The pore size for mass transfer in the membrane was speculated as being mono-disperse in our experimental molecular size. The membrane has sufficient mechanical strength for conventional use in its swelled state in an aqueous phase. Its polymeric framework of calcium alginate became densely populated with increasing calcium chloride concentration, and its mechanical strength was elevated. This then dominantly influenced the mass transfer tortuosity in the membrane. The water permeation flux was linearly proportional to pressure. The mechanism of water permeation mainly exhibited a Hagen-Poiseuille flow. Pores were not observed at the surface in a scanning-electron-microscope view.

A stable calcium alginate membrane was successfully prepared. The membrane performs a superior molecular size screening between 60 Da (urea) and 60 4Da (Bordeaux S). The effective diffusion coefficient in the membrane was changed 2.5 × 104-fold even when our tested molecular size was only 10-fold. The pore size for mass transfer in the membrane was speculated as being mono-disperse in our experimental molecular size. The membrane has sufficient mechanical strength for conventional use in its swelled state in an aqueous phase. Its polymeric framework of calcium alginate became densely populated with increasing calcium chloride concentration, and its mechanical strength was elevated. This then dominantly influenced the mass transfer tortuosity in the membrane. The water permeation flux was linearly proportional to pressure. The mechanism of water permeation mainly exhibited a Hagen-Poiseuille flow. Pores were not observed at the surface in a scanning-electron-microscope view.

The fetal mouse liver tissues in our organotypic slice culture were spread and flattened for at least 3 weeks; small, round cells were distributed in the center and polygonal cells were seen in the periphery. Ultrastructurally, polygonal cells showed abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. They expressed albumin (ALB) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) for at least 3 weeks, and Cx32-immunoreactivity was also seen in a plaque on the cells. Many proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells were observed at the periphery, and there were scattered CK-19-positive cells.

A case of epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland harboring p53 mutation is reported. The tumor removed from a 67-year-old Japanese female was composed of an organoid biphasic population of cells: inner dark epithelial cells were surrounded by clear myoepithelial cells. The cells were immunopositive for EMA and smooth muscle actin, respectively. Some of the epithelial cells formed solid nests. Immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) resulted in a higher percentage of labeled cells in the solid epithelial region than in the region with the more general biphasic pattern. Genetic analysis, including polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and nucleotide sequencing, revealed a mutation in codon 207 (aspartic acid to glycine) of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a mutation in the p53 gene in an epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary gland.

We report Cu-NQR results on Ge-doped heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu2(Si1−xGex)2(0

Abstract: Glassy cell carcinoma, a rare cervical malignancy, is a specific type of poorly differentiated adenosquamous carcinoma. Because of the rarity of such tumors, the genetic alterations associated with their development remain unclear. In this study we investigated the possible integration of human papillomavirus and genetic alterations in the p53 tumor-suppressor gene and in ras oncogenes in two patients with this tumor. The genomic DNA of human papillomavirus type 18 was detected by polymerase chain reaction in both tumors. One of the tumors was also positive for the genomic DNA of human papillomavirus type 16. In addition, a mutation in exon 5 of the p53 gene was identified in both tumors, while no mutations were found in the various ras genes examined. Mutation of the p53 gene together with infection by human papillomavirus appears to participate in the tumorigenesis of glassy cell carcinoma.

Cytokines have been proposed to play an important role in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases, but the exact mechanism of the cytokine induction remains unclear. H. pylori urease, a major component of the soluble proteins extracted from bacterial cells, is considered to be one of the virulence factors for the inflammation in the gastric mucosa that is produced in H. pylori infection. However, the response of human gastric epithelial cells to the stimulation of urease has not been investigated. In the present study, we used human gastric epithelial cells in a primary culture system and examined whether H. pylori urease stimulates the gastric epithelial cells to induce proinflammatory cytokines by reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. First, by using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and a gastric cancer cell line (MKN-45 cells), we confirmed the ability of purified H. pylori urease to induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the human gastric epithelial cells produced interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha, but not IL-8, following stimulation with purified urease. The patterns of cytokine induction differed among human PBMC, MKN-45 cells, and human gastric epithelial cells. These results suggest that the human gastric epithelial cells contribute to the induction of proinflammatory cytokines by the stimulation of H. pylori urease, indicating that the epithelial cells were involved in the mucosal inflammation that accompanied H. pylori infection.

The predominant H. pylori strain circulating among geographic locations differs with regard to the genomic structure. This study determined whether structural subtypes of the cagA 3' repeat region could be used to identify the population of origin of H. pylori isolates. We examined 600 cagA-positive H. pylori (Colombia, 100; USA, 100; France, 100; Canada, 20; Italy, 20; Korea, 100; Japan, 100; Hong Kong, 20; Taiwan, 20; Vietnam, 20). The cagA 3' region was amplified by PCR using primers specific to Japanese and Western 3' cagA gene sequences. PCR using Japanese cagA primers resulted in PCR products in 99·6% of strains from East Asia but no non-Asian strains. Conversely, PCR using Western cagA primers resulted in amplicons in 100% of non-Asian strains, and only one from East Asia. cagA genotyping is useful for molecular epidemiological studies as strains can be completely separated by differences in the cagA 3' region.

Abstract:  We applied organotypic slice culture of neonatal mouse liver tissues to maintain the parenchymal cells in ontogenesis and to investigate their proliferation and differentiation. Cultured tissue spread gradually over 3 weeks. Small basophilic cells formed several layers in the center of the cultured tissues, and a monolayer of polygonal cells was seen at the periphery. Albumin- and α-fetoprotein-immunoreactions were seen in polygonal cells, as were proliferating cell nuclear antigen-immunoreactions. Connexin 32- and 26-immunoreactions were observed in small plaques on the membrane of the polygonal cells, and electron microscopy showed gap junctional complexes. Ultrastructurally, polygonal cells had a round nucleus and abundant cytoplasmic organelles, and bile canaliculi were seen on the cytoplasmic membrane. Cytokeratin 19-immunoreactions were scattered in clusters. There were ultrastructurally bile-duct-like structures with microvilli on the inner surface of the cavity and tight junctions between their constitutent cells. Quantitative analysis of albumin-, α-fetoprotein- and cytokeratin 19- or proliferating cell nuclear antigen-immunoreactivity in parenchymal cells showed changes of their phenotypes or maintenance of their proliferation in tissue culture. Our slice-culture system enabled us to maintain and to develop parenchymal cells in the liver tissue for at least 3 weeks. The findings suggest that organotypic slice culture applied to liver tissues in ontogenesis may be a useful tool not only to maintain parenchymal cells but also to investigate their proliferation and differentiation.

Abstract: Background. Germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene, on chromosome 17q21, confer susceptibility to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It remains uncertain, however, whether somatic mutations in BRCA1 play a role in sporadic ovarian carcinogenesis. Methods. Samples of tumor and normal (peripheral blood) DNA were collected from 19 patients with sporadic (that is, no known family history) ovarian cancer. The BRCA1 gene alteration was analyzed for the entire coding region, using the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique followed by direct sequencing. Results. We found two somatic mutations in the 19 patients. One was an A deletion at nucleotide position 2073, leading to premature truncation of BRCA1 protein at codon 700, and the other was a G-to-A transition at nucleotide position 4498, resulting in substitution of serine for aspartic acid at codon 1460. In addition, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was also observed at a BRCA1 intragenic marker in samples of both tumor and blood. Conclusion. Our data suggest that somatic mutation of the BRCA1 gene, in conjunction with LOH, may be a critical event in the genesis of a subgroup of sporadic ovarian cancer.

Biliary bile acids, coexisting with phospholipid and cholesterol, are partly conjugated with taurine. In the present report we show that total and taurine-conjugated bile acids in bile can be simultaneously and quantitatively measured by high-resolution (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectroscopy. We used a 7.05-Tesla NMR spectrometer to obtain the (1)H-NMR spectra of model and biological biles. Only addition of trimethylsilyl-3-propionic acid sodium salt-D(4) (TSP) to each sample as an internal standard was required in preparation for (1)H-NMR measurement. In (1)H-NMR spectra of rat bile, peaks of C-18 methyl protons of bile acids and of C-25 methylene protons on the taurine moiety of taurine-conjugated bile acids were detected at 0.7 ppm and 3.1 ppm, respectively. Peak areas, of C-18 and C-25 peaks, increased in proportion to the concentrations of bile acids or taurine-conjugated bile acids, even in the presence of phospholipid and cholesterol. The accuracy of NMR measurement of total and taurine-conjugated bile acids was confirmed by comparing the results of NMR with those of enzyme-fluorimetry.The results clearly demonstrate that (1)H-NMR spectroscopy can be applied to the quantitative determination of total and taurine-conjugated bile acids in bile without troublesome preparative steps.

AimHelicobacter pylori is associated with gastric cancer. Our aim was to investigate whether CagA or VacA seropositivity provides additional risk for gastric cancer.MethodsSera from 110 gastric cancer patients were sex and aged matched with asymptomatic controls. H pylori status was determined by IgG enzyme immunoassay (HM-CAP EIA); CagA status was assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (OraVax) and immunoblotting (Chiron), and VacA status by immunoblotting using recombinant proteins as antigens.ResultsH pylori infection was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 4.1). Subgroup analysis showed a significant association with intestinal type (OR = 2.94, 1.35 to 6.41), distal type (OR = 2.97, 1.39 to 6.33), early gastric cancer (OR = 3.74, 1.54 to 9.06), and age ≤ 55 years (OR = 8.33, 2.04 to 34.08), but not with diffuse type (OR = 0.83), proximal type (OR = 1.0), advanced gastric cancer (OR = 1.13), or age > 55 years (OR = 1.40). Serum CagA IgG and VacA antibody positivity was present in similar proportions in patients with and without cancer, with no significant differences in histological classification, clinical stage, or location (p > 0.3).ConclusionsH pylori infection causes chronic gastritis and is associated with the development of gastric cancer. Neither CagA nor VacA seropositivity added additional information or stratification.

AimHelicobacter pylori is associated with gastric cancer. Our aim was to investigate whether CagA or VacA seropositivity provides additional risk for gastric cancer.MethodsSera from 110 gastric cancer patients were sex and aged matched with asymptomatic controls. H pylori status was determined by IgG enzyme immunoassay (HM-CAP EIA); CagA status was assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (OraVax) and immunoblotting (Chiron), and VacA status by immunoblotting using recombinant proteins as antigens.ResultsH pylori infection was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 4.1). Subgroup analysis showed a significant association with intestinal type (OR = 2.94, 1.35 to 6.41), distal type (OR = 2.97, 1.39 to 6.33), early gastric cancer (OR = 3.74, 1.54 to 9.06), and age ≤ 55 years (OR = 8.33, 2.04 to 34.08), but not with diffuse type (OR = 0.83), proximal type (OR = 1.0), advanced gastric cancer (OR = 1.13), or age > 55 years (OR = 1.40). Serum CagA IgG and VacA antibody positivity was present in similar proportions in patients with and without cancer, with no significant differences in histological classification, clinical stage, or location (p > 0.3).ConclusionsH pylori infection causes chronic gastritis and is associated with the development of gastric cancer. Neither CagA nor VacA seropositivity added additional information or stratification.

It is well known that a circular cylinder can be vortex-excited but cannot gallop. The present wind tunnel experiment shows that a circular cylinder cannot be vortex-excited but can gallop in the presence of a long stationary splitter plate. If combined with our previous experiments on rectangular cylinders, the results suggest that any short bluff cylinder, whether its cross-section is sharp-edged or smooth, can gallop in the presence of a long stationary splitter plate.

We examined TP53 mutation in 57 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) at either the MDS phase or at the terminal leukemic phase using polymerase chain reaction-mediated single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis. TP53 mutations within exons 5 through 8 were found in seven patients. All these mutations were detected at the presentation of MDS whether these patients showed leukemic transformation or not. TP53 mutations were frequently found in patients with loss of the short arm of chromosome 17 (17p-) (three of seven patients with 17p-, 43%) and complex karyotypic abnormalities (five of 14, 38%). Among the seven patients with the TP53 mutation, four patients progressed to acute leukemia within 7 months from the diagnosis of MDS, and the remaining three died within 7 months without leukemic transformation. These findings suggest that mutations of the TP53 can be implicated in leukemic transformation and a poor prognosis in MDS.

The mineralogy, geochemistry and geotechnical properties of clay samples in Ariake Bay, Japan are presented. The mineralogy and geochemistry are discussed in terms of depositional and post-depositional processes, and the correlations of the clay mineralogy and geochemistry with the geotechnical properties were examined by multiple regression analysis. The most predominant clay mineral in the deposits was found to be smectite. The vertical distribution of trace elements in the deposits was indicative of the periodical changes in the parent materials involved in the depositional processes. The chloride concentration in the pore water varied, according to a change in the sea level, from brackish to marine, and then brackish towards the surface. The higher iron oxide contents near the surface and in the deepest zones were the results of pyrite oxidation in the deposits due to weathering under subaerial conditions. Smectite content was the most predominant governing factor for the consistency limits and activity; the iron oxide content was the most predominant for the sensitivity, the Cu /p value, and the over-consolidation ratio. Overconsolidation characteristics in the near-surface zone and in the deepest zones were attributed to interparticle cementation by the iron oxides produced by pyrite oxidation. L'article présente les propriétés minéralogiques, géochimiques et géotechniques d'échantillons argileux de la baie d'Ariake, Japon. La minéralogie et la géochimie sont étudiées pendant et après le dépôt. Les propriétés géotechniques sont ensuite corrélées, à l'aide de diverses régressions, à la minéralogie et à la géochimie. La smectite est le minéral argileux le plus courant. La distribution verticale des éléments-trace dans les dépôts est représentative des variations périodiques des matériaux originels impliqués dans les processus de dépôt. Selon le niveau de la mer, la concentration en chlorures de l'eau interstitielle vane: en remontant vers la surface, elle est typique de l'eau saumâtre, puis de l'eau de mer, puis de nouveau de l'eau saum7acirc;tre. Les teneurs en oxydes de fer les plus élevées, situées à proximité de la surface et dans les zones les plus profondes, résultent de l'oxydation, par altération sous conditions subaériennes, de la pyrite contenue dam ces dépâts. Les teneurs en smectites et en oxydes de fer sont les principaux paramàtres contrôlant les limites de consistance et Pactivité pour la premiàre, la sensibilité, la valeur de c ulP et le degré de surconsolidation pour la seconde. Les caractéristiques de surconsolidation dans les zones proches de la surface et dans les zones les plus profondes sont sans doute dues à une cimentation de l'espace interparticulaire par des oxydes de fer issus de l'oxydation de la pyrite.

Sector zoning has been experimentally reproduced in CaMgSi2O6-CaTiAl2O6 clinopyroxene crystals by isothermal crystallization using seed crystals. Element partitioning in different growth sectors and between the core and rim portions in single crystals was analysed in relation to growth rate R and degree of supercooling ? T. The TiO2 and Al2O3 contents increase with increase in R and ? T, but when they are compared between different sectors in a single crystal grown at the same ? T, they correlate negatively with R. The order of faces in respect of contents of TiO2 and Al2O3 is (100)>(110)?(010)?(111) at ?T= 13° C and 18° C but changes to (110)>(100)>(010)>(111) at ? T= 25° C. The growth mechanism is concluded to be controlled by interface kinetics at ?T= 13–25° C for all these faces, while at ? T=45° C this relation holds for (100) and (010) faces, but not for (110) and (111), based on the growth rate versus supercooling relation and surface microtopographic observations. The interface kinetics play the essential role in the formation of sector zoning, when the layer growth mechanism takes place.

Background: We have studied the cytokine production patterns in gastric mucosal biopsy specimens with and without the Helicobacter pylori infection, using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method capable of detecting low levels of specific mRNA.Methods: Total RNA was prepared from biopsy specimens with the acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform method. cDNA was synthesized by M-MLV RTase and amplified using the oligonucleotide primers specific for interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-α (IFN-α), IFN-β, and IFN-γ by PCR methods.Results: Although IL-1β and IFN-γ mRNA were detected in most specimens, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, TNF-α, and IFN-β mRNA were not detected at all. The expressions of IL-7 and IL-8 mRNA were significantly higher in H. pylori-positive gastritis than in H. pylori-negative normal controls. There was a significant correlation between the expression of IL-8 mRNA and the severity of gastritis both in the antrum and in the corpus. On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between the expression of IL-7 mRNA and the severity of gastritis only in the corpus.Conclusions: These findings suggest that some cytokines, especially IL-7 and IL-8, play some roles in H. pylori-associated gastritis.

Partner sites of 14q32 translocations found in B-cell malignancies were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clones, Y20 and Y6, containing the human Ig heavy chain (IgH) gene locus. Y20 spans a 160-kb upstream and 40-kb downstream region of the JH segments on chromosome band 14q32.33. Y6 is 300-kb upstream of Y20, and spans a further 320-kb telomeric region. The human DNA sequences amplified by Alu polymerase chain reaction of the YAC clones were used as probes for FISH to study six patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), one patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one cell line FR4 established from a plasmacytoma. Three telomeric YAC clones each specific for 3q, 8q, and 18q were also used to further characterize 14q32 translocations. The IgH YACs were successfully applied to detect cytogenetically invisible subtelomeric translocation of the IgH gene locus to each partner site in t(14;18), t(8;14), and t(14;19), and to identify t(3;14) (q27;q32.33) in three patients with 14q32 translocation of unknown origin. Furthermore, complex translocations involving more than three chromosomes were detected in an NHL patient with t(8;14), and t(3;12), and in the FR4 with der(14)t(8;14), der(8)dic(1;8), and del(1)(q21). The technique would be a useful tool in elucidating the mechanisms of a 14q32 translocation in B-cell malignancies.

Flaws due to stress corrosion cracking have frequently been found in Type 304 stainless steel piping of some boiling water reactor (BWR) plants. In this work, in order to quantitatively examine the integrity under the presence of such cracks, pipe fracture tests and related finite element analyses were conducted. The unstable fractures were observed under the quasi-static and the dynamic tensile loading conditions with a high-compliance test machine. The finite element methods were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the J-integral and the crack tip opening angle (CTOA) as criteria for stable crack extension, and that of the total displacement stationariness condition as a criterion for the onset of instability.

The thickness of Brunner's glands was measured with an ocular micrometer in 75 cases of surgically resected duodenal ulcer and in 75 autopsy cases (control group). Endoscopic findings before operation were also studied. Maximum mean thickness of Brunner's glands in the control group was 1.54 ± 0.38 mm (mean ± SD), and no regional difference in thickness was noted. The thickness of Brunner's glands in the duodenal ulcer group was widely distributed, from 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and the average value was 3.0 ± 1.0 mm, with a statistically significant difference from that of the control group. In most duodenal ulcer cases Brunner's glands were thickest within 1 cm from the center of an ulcer. Only six cases of duodenal ulcer (8.0%) showed a diffusely thin layer of Brunner's glands, less than 1.5 mm thick. These results show that the Brunner's glands become hyperplastic in duodenal ulcer patients, especially near the ulcer. In the healed ulcer Brunner's glands were thin at the center of an ulcer scar, and the average thickness was 0.42 ± 0.26 mm. This histologic finding corresponded to the depressed scarred area observed endoscopically, suggesting a decreased mucosal resistance at this area.

Pancreaticopleural fistulas are a rare complication of acute or chronic pancreatitis, and are usually treated by surgery. We report three patients whose pancreaticopleural fistulas were successfully treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and drainage (stenting, nasopancreatic drainage). In one patient a pancreatic pseudocyst persisted despite successful initial closure of the leak using this method and, as it was also suspected to be infected, additional drainage of the pseudocyst was required. Endotherapy of pancreaticopleural fistulas could obviate the need for surgery when conventional medical treatment has failed in this condition.