Search

BACKGROUND Adiponectin, an adipocytokine with beneficial biological functions relevant to cardiovascular (CV) diseases, and arterial stiffness, an indicator of vascular function, are considered to be important correlates of CV disease risk. Although racial (black-white) divergences in adiponectin and arterial stiffness are known, information is scant regarding the association between these two parameters among asymptomatic young adults within each race. METHODS As part of the Bogalusa Heart Study, arterial stiffness was examined noninvasively in terms of aorta-femoral pulse wave velocity (af-PWV) in 991 black and white nondiabetic subjects (72% white, 43% male) aged 24-44 years. RESULTS In a multivariate regression model by race that included adiponectin, age, sex, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, triglycerides, and cigarette smoking, the significant predictors of af-PWV, in the order of entry, were: mean arterial pressure, age, smoking, and heart rate in both races, followed by adiponectin (inverse relation) in blacks. Further, after adjusting for mean arterial pressure, age, smoking, and heart rate, the odds ratio of finding excess af-PWV (top decile vs. the rest) in individuals with low adiponectin levels (bottom quartile vs. the rest) was significantly higher in blacks (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1-5.5), but not in whites (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.5-1.9). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the status of hypoadiponectinemia is an independent correlate of excess arterial stiffness in asymptomatic young black adults.

Starting from a two-band Hubbard model for cupric oxides and using perturbation theory, we study the effect of a small O-O hopping term {ital t}{sub {ital p}} on the parameters of the single-band {ital t}-{ital J} model. It is found that as long as the wave function on the oxygen site is extended and Bloch-like, the antiferromagnetic coupling between the nearest-neighbor copper spins decreases rapidly with increasing hole doping. This behavior seems to be insensitive to the value of {ital t}{sub {ital p}} and dispersion of the oxygen band, and is consistent with the results of recent experiments. We also show that between next-nearest-neighbor copper spins, there exists a non-negligible antiferromagnetic coupling even in the zero-doping limit.

The normal state in-plane resistivity ρab and the out-of-plane resistivity ρc of high T c cupreous oxides are studied in terms of the interactions between the charged carries and the excitations including phonons in a doped quantum antiferromagnet which can be described by either a resonant valence bond (RVB) state or a quantum Néel state. We found that only in a properly doped quantum Néel state and when the renormalized the speed of spin wave becomes soft, ρab and σc = 1/ρc could have the desired experimental behaviors and depend linearly on T from T c up to room temperature if the quantum Néel state still, persists in high T c samples.

This paper extands first the covariance assignment theory for continuous time systems to the assignment of a covariance upper bound in the presence of structured perturbations. A systematic way is given to construct an assignable covariance upper bound for the purpose of robust design.

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the liver remains extremely rare with only several cases having been reported in literature. We report a case of hepatic MFH in a 53-year-old man who presented with upper abdominal pain, and weight loss for one month. Ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan showed a large mass with fine tumor vessels over the left lobe of the liver. Histopathological findings indicated a mesenchymal tumor consisting of spindle cells in storiform pattern intermingled with histiocyte-like cells and giant cells. Immunohistochemically, most tumor cells expressed vimentin, alpha-1 anti-chymotrypsin, alpha-1 antitrypsin and CD68. Morphological and immunohistochemical findings support that the tumor should be classified as a primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The literatures is briefly reviewed.

A new web flap on a subcutaneous tissue pedicle was developed to repair incomplete simple syndactyly. It was isolated from the top skin in syndactyly and transferred down into the depth of the web space to create a web commissure. With use of this technique, aesthetic appearance of the web and well-functioning fingers were gained. Moreover, this technique made full use of the original skin of the syndactyly, and a skin graft was not needed. We report here the operative technique, which presents another alternative for repair of incomplete simple syndactyly.

In this paper, the excited state dynamics properties of hemicynine were investigated by using time-resolved fluorescence and 3D fluorescence spectra techniques. The interaction of hemicyanine molecules caused formation of H-aggregates and a blue shift of the 3D fluorescence spectra in interleaving hemicyanine/arachidic acid multilayers. The peak of fluorescence was a red shift along with the time decay. The lifetime of the LB fluorescence was much shorter and the difference of beginning luminescence was less than that of the hemicyanine solution due to the stronger intermolecule interactions in the aggregates.

Covariance control theory is applied to a practical engineering project, the ASTREX facility. The approach used is to construct an assignable state covariance X which satisfies some requirements on system performance and then design a controller which assigns this X to the closed-loop system. The application of multiple-constraint control of this facility is reported. >

The effect of disorder on the optical absorption of the realistic random superlattice has been investigated based on a three‐dimensional tight‐binding Hamiltonian. It is found that the absorption intensity close to the band edge of the random superlattice is considerably enhanced, which can be explained by optical matrix elements of the relevant eigenfunctions localized strongly over 2–4 monolayers. An energy‐level crossing behavior at the conduction‐band bottom is also obtained.

The major technical challenge to the application of piezo crystal as an actuator is concerned with its hysteresis behavior. This would result in a nonlinear and multi-valued mapping between the actuator input and output and hence influence the desired control precision. This problem was solved by using closed-loop robust neural network control technology. >

For discrete-time systems, a controller reduction method that guarantees the stability of the reduced closed-loop system while preserving the entire plant state covariance matrix of the original feedback system is presented. Hence, all system properties related to the plant state covariance matrix are also preserved, e.g., the output variances of each output in the closed-loop system and the H/sub 2/ norm of the closed-loop system transfer matrix. The reduction does not require the stability of the controller. >

A yeast strain CGMCC 0574, identified as Trichosporon brassicae, was selected from 92 strains for its high (S) selectivity in the hydrolysis of ketoprofen ethyl ester. The effective strains of the microorganisms were isolated from soil samples with the ester as the sole carbon source. The ethyl ester proved to be the best substrate for resolution of ketoprofen among several ketoprofen esters examined. The resting cells of CGMCC 0574 could catalyze the hydrolysis of ketoprofen ethyl ester with an enantiomeric ratio of 44.9, giving (S)-ketoprofen an enantiomeric excess of 91.5% at 42% conversion.

The electronic structure of a realistic three‐dimensional periodic random superlattice (SL) [(GaAs)m/(AlAs)n]l are calculated for the first time using the large‐cluster recursion method within the tight‐binding framework. It is found that the localized valance band‐tail states of the random SL, which are almost independent of the AlAs concentration, extend to the band‐gap region of the corresponding ordered SL. The central peaks in the Al s and Ga s states which vary with the Al concentration are studied, and comparison with the alloy AlxGa1−xAs is made. Our results provide a guide to the band‐gap engineering of the random superlattices.

The quantum size effect in thin antimony films grown along (111) direction on a GaSb substrate is studied based on a simple model. The critical film thickness, at which the semimetal‐semiconductor transition takes place, is determined. It is proposed that the optical experiments can be used to measure the critical thickness since the dependence of optical transition on thickness in the semimetal region is very different from that in semiconductor region.

The anti-anaphylactic action of potassium channel openers was studied and reported in this paper. Minoxidil(Min) was shown to inhibit passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in rats. Diazoxide (Dia) and Min were found to inhibit antigen-induced guinea-pig ileum smooth muscle contraction in vitro. Min was shown to antagonize 5-HT-induced capillary permeability in rat skin. Dia was demonstrated to inhibit histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by A23187 and compound 48/80, but it failed to antagonize guinea-pig ileum smooth muscle contraction induced by histamine in vitro. These results provide evidence that potassium channel openers may be a new group of inhibitors of histamine release and indicate that the mechanism of its anti-anaphylactic action may be related to its potassium channel opening effect. As a result of this effect, Ca2+ influx to the mast cells decreases and Ca2+ release from calcium storage was inhibited, thus inhibiting histamine release.

In rat single adrenal chromaffin cells, the effects of methacholine (MCh) on [Ca2+]i and catecholamine secretion were studied with fura-2 fluorescence and carbon fiber electrodes. In the presence of 2 mmol/L Ca2+ in the bath, locally applying 1 mmol/L MCh, either containing or not containing Ca2+, evoked both [Ca2+]i and secretion signals. In the absence of Ca2+ in the bath, MCh could still evoke [Ca2+]i and secretion. These results suggest that MCh causes release of Ca2+ from Ca2+ stores, which is sufficient to yield the evoked secretion. The Ca2+ store can be depleted by single MCh puff in the absence of Ca2+ in the bath.

The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a method for semi-quantification of ventilation-to-perfusion ratios in small regions in planar pulmonary scintigrams using 99mTc-Technegas (Tetley Manufacturing Ltd, Sydney, Australia) and 99mTc-macro-aggregated human albumin. Eight emphysematous patients and eight healthy volunteers were investigated in the supine position. Anterio-posterior and posterio-anterior images of ventilation and ventilation-and-perfusion were acquired consecutively. Perfusion images were obtained by subtracting the corrected ventilation images from ventilation-and-perfusion images. Lung regions of interest were divided into 2.03 x 2.03 cm regions. The ratio of normalized counts of ventilation-to-perfusion (V/Q) was calculated in each square region. The log (V/Q)s of healthy volunteers were distributed symmetrically and similarly around 0, whereas the corresponding ratios in patients distributed unevenly. The standard deviations of log (V/Q)s were significantly higher in patients than in healthy volunteers. Parametric images of V/Q distribution were constructed to visualize the magnitude and location of 'waste ventilation' and 'shunt' effects. In conclusion, the present semi-quantitative method is validated by confirming the expected dispersed V/Q distribution in emphysematous patients compared to healthy volunteers.

A study was performed to assess whether a model of vascular graft infection could be established in sheep carotid artery. Either a protein sealed Dacron or a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft was used in 22 sheep while a control operation was performed on 4 animals. Staphylococcus aureus in concentrations of 10(2), 10(4), 10(6) or 10(8) colony-forming units (CFU) was inoculated into the wound before closure. No infection occurred with an inoculum of 10(2). The lowest concentration of organism producing infection was 10(4) for PTFE, 10(6) for Dacron and 10(8) for controls. Six of eleven Dacron grafts and seven of ten PTFE grafts became infected. The sheep carotid artery has proven a satisfactory model for studies of vascular graft infection.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a method for the quantification of inhomogeneity in ventilation scintigraphy. Ten healthy volunteers and 10 emphysematous patients were investigated. Anteroposterior (AP) and Posteroanterior (PA) images of planar ventilation scintigraphy were acquired. Lung regions of interest (ROI) were obtained by manual delineation of the lung contours and then divided into several 10-pixel-high horizontal-stripe regions. By allowing for the statistical noise of the pixel count rate, the biological coefficient of variation (CVB) of the pixel counts in each stripe region was calculated. The apex-to-base distribution of the CVB in the emphysematous lungs dispersed largely and with higher values than the corresponding distribution in the healthy lungs. The mean values of the CVB (MCVB), the ranges of the CVB (RCVB) and the maximum values of the CVB (MAXCVB) in the stripe regions in emphysematous lungs were significantly higher than the corresponding ones in the healthy lungs (all P0.001). The intraobserver variations of the MCVB, RCVB and MAXCVB (calculated using the standard deviations of the differences) were less than 2.3% units, 5.2% units and 3.9% units respectively. The corresponding values for interobserver variation were 5.7% units, 6.1% units and 6.4% units. A systematic decrease in lung ROI size, i.e. inclusion of successively less of the lung edge, resulted in a linear decrease of 1.7% units in the MCVB and MAXCVB of both emphysematous and normal lungs. In conclusion, the stripe-region method is a reliable tool for the quantification of inhomogeneity in the planar ventilation scintigraphy.

The second web bilobed island flap is described. The flap includes skin from the second web of the hand and the dorsum of the index and middle fingers. Usually the flap is based on the first and second dorsal metacarpal arteries, but it can be used with just the first dorsal metacarpal vessels in its pedicle. Sensation of the flap is provided by branches of the radial nerve. The flap has been successfully used to reconstruct 11 injured thumbs.

The effects of Andreev reflection on the current-voltage characteristic and differential conductance of a junction between a normal metal and a ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{xy}}$-wave superconductor, or equivalently, a ${\mathit{d}}_{{\mathit{x}}^{2}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathit{y}}^{2}}$-wave superconductor with a {110}-oriented surface are investigated using the Bogoliubov--de Gennes equations. Our study elucidates several important consequences of the sign change of a d-wave order parameter. In particular, a zero-bias conductance peak is obtained when an insulating barrier exists at the interface between the normal metal and the d-wave superconductor, consistent with numerous experiments performed on cuprate superconductors. If the insulating barrier is assumed to reside in the normal metal, several coherence lengths away from the superconductor surface, bound states within the energy gap, and consequent subgap resonances in the differential conductance, are predicted. The positions of these resonances are out of phase with respect to those predicted for an isotropic or anisotropic s-wave superconductor, thus providing unique signatures of pairing state symmetry. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

We derive microscopically the Ginzburg-Landau equations for weak-coupling superconductors with coexisting {ital s} and {ital d} symmetries. The equations are derived from Gor{close_quote}kov equations by using the finite temperature Green{close_quote}s-function method. We explore the physical consequences of such Ginzburg-Landau equations. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}

The structures of a single vortex and vortex lattice in a superconductor with ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ symmetry are studied self-consistently employing a recently developed Ginzburg-Landau theory. Near a single vortex, we found that an $s$-wave component of the order parameter is always induced, and it causes the local magnetic-field distribution and the $d$-wave order parameter to have a fourfold anisotropy. It is shown that there is a strong correlation between the structure of a single vortex and the shape of the vortex lattice. Our numerical calculation indicates that the structure of the vortex lattice is always oblique except for temperatures very close to ${T}_{c}$ where it becomes triangular. The possible connection of the result with experiment is also discussed.

4-Aminopyridine(4-AP) 1 mg.kg-1 sc at the scruff induced a licking response in mice. Antiallergic and antipruritic drugs, such as diphenhydramine HCl(20 mg.kg-1 ip), doxepin(12.5 mg.kg-1 ig), prednisone(10 mg.kg-1 ig), dexamethasone(10 mg.kg-1 ip), fluocinolone (applied to the surface of skin), Pi Yan Ping(applied to the surface of skin), disodium cromoglicate(400 mg.kg-1 ip), ketotifen(1 mg.kg-1 ip), etc. markedly inhibited the licking response elicited by 4-AP. The calcium antagonist nifedipine(500 mg.kg-1 lg) and the potassium channel opener minoxidil(400 mg.kg-1 ig) produced the same inhibitory effect. H2-receptor antagonist cimetidine(200 mg.kg-1 ip) and ranitidine(150 mg.kg-1 ip) showed no effect. Morphine HCl(10 mg.kg-1 ip) and diazepam(0.02 mg.kg-1 ip) exhibited antagonistic effect on the licking response induced by 4-AP, but phenobarbital(25 mg.kg-1 ip), pentobarbital(15 mg.kg-1 ip) and aspirin(300 mg.kg-1 ig) did not. These results indicate that many antiallergic or antipruritic drugs inhibited the licking response induced by 4-AP. The method of licking response elicited by 4-AP has the merit of simplicity and convenience and may be used for screening antiallergic and antipruritic drugs.

In experiments carried out in mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits both dihydroartemisinin and artesunate showed contragestational effect. In mice and rabbits they caused embryo absorption whereas in hamsters and guinea pigs they induced abortion. The contragestational ED50 of dihydroartemisinin given sc on d 7 of pregnancy in mice and d 5 of pregnancy in hamsters were 32.8(27.7-38.9) mg.kg-1 and 6.1(5.6-6.7) mg.kg-1 respectively. The ED50 of this drug given im on d 18 of pregnancy in guinea pigs was 18.3(13.9-24.2) mg.kg-1. Dihydroartemisinin also showed mid-pregnancy terminating effect in hamsters. The contragestational ED50 of artesunate given sc on d 5 of pregnancy in hamsters and the ED50 of sodium artesunate given sc on d 5-8 of pregnancy in hamsters were 12.2(10.3-14.4) mg.kg-1 and 1.0(0.9-1.2) mg.kg-1 daily respectively. Results of light microscopic examination revealed that dihydroartemisinin was selectively toxic to embryo sac. At dose levels sufficient to induce embryo sac necrosis, dihydroartemisinin did not injure the uterus and ovary of the maternal animals. On the ground of the foregoing observations we consider that dihydroartemisinin, artesunate and their analogous drugs should not be used to treat malaria in pregnant women and there is the possibility to exploit intentional abortion agents from artemisinin derivatives.

Two overlapping cDNA clones for core protein of a biglycan of bovine aorta were isolated from a pSPORT bovine aorta tissue cDNA library. The 2043-bp cDNA contains a 114-bp 5' untranslated region, a 1224-bp cDNA open reading frame and a 705-bp 3' untranslated region. The encoded core preproprotein contains a prepeptide (residues no. -37 to -19) and a propeptide (residues no. -18 to -1), with 369 amino acid residues corresponding to a molecular mass of 41.6 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a striking homology to rat vascular smooth muscle cell, human bone and bovine articular cartilage biglycans from cell culture.

We study the static configurations of a one-dimensional 0-{pi} Josephson junction, consisting of an {ital s}-{ital d} junction or selected boundaries between three suitably oriented {ital d}-wave superconductors. We find that a {ital d}-wave-type interference pattern can only be observed in the field-modulated critical current if the junction is short compared to the Josephson penetration depth. However, the behavior of a 0-{pi} junction is found to be indistinguishable from that of a 0 junction between {ital s}-wave superconductors in the long junction limit, due to the formation of a {pi} vortex.

The one-dimensional spin-1/2 Ising-Heisenberg ferromagnets are studied by the Green's function method at finite temperatures. The Green's function is decoupled in terms of the correlation functions of 〈${\mathit{S}}_{0}^{\mathit{z}}$${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{n}}^{\mathit{z}}$〉 and 〈${\mathit{S}}_{0}^{+}$${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{n}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$〉 under the constraint of 〈${\mathit{S}}^{\mathit{z}}$〉=0, from which a set of self-consistent equations are derived and solved numerically. The thermodynamic properties such as internal energy, specific heat, and zero-field parallel susceptibility are calculated. Our results predict the correct behavior for the correlation functions and thermodynamic quantities in the entire temperature region, in agreement both with the exact numerical results on the finite chain and the experimental data.

The Load (Lock) Slot viewed from the top is shaped like a running track around a soccer field (see Figure 1.1). The minimum size of the crack required to be detected is 0.005″×0.010″. For modeling cracks, there are altogether 9 notches in the Slots as marked in the Figure 1.1. The minimum notch at the 9th stage is 0.005″×0.010″. For inspection of this complex geometry, an eddy current probe with a double reflection coil was developed. Scanning occurs in the minor elliptical axis direction while indexing takes place along the major axis. The split of the coil is perpendicular to the scan direction (or in another word, parallel to the Slot edge). The challenge here is the changing scan surface length due to the elliptic shape and the small size (the minor axis is about 1/8″ long) of the inspection area.

4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) has been shown to induce histamine release from isolated peritoneal mast cells (PMC) in mice and rats. In the presence of extracellular calcium at normal level (0.9 mmol.L-1) histamine release induced by 4-AP (13.6 mmol.L-1) from mice PMC was 33.0% +/- 4.6%, while at low calcium concentration (0.5 mmol.L-1) and in calcium-free medium this parameter decreased to 25.5% +/- 4.2% and 16.3% +/- 3.7% respectively. Histamine release in response to 4-AP (10 mmol.L-1) from rat PMC was 39.1% +/- 6.7% (0.9 mmol.L-1 calcium), while at low calcium concentration (0.5 mmol.L-1) and in calcium-free medium this parameter decreased to 29.3% +/- 4.7% and 20.2% +/- 2.9% respectively. Results of statistical analysis indicate that 4-AP induced histamine release is related to Ca2+ concentration. When rat PMC were preincubated in calcium-free medium with EDTA 0.1 mmol.L-1 for 180 min 4-AP induced histamine release was 13.8% +/- 1.6%. This shows that 4-AP also elicited mobilization of endogenous calcium stores in mast cells. The mechanism of 4-AP induced histamine release was discussed.

4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) was shown to promote histamine release from isolated rat peritoneal mast cells (PMC) in a dose-dependent manner. Potassium channel openers, minoxidil (Min) 200 mg.kg-1 ig, diazoxide (Dia) 500 mumol.L-1 in vitro and calcium antagonist nifedipine (Nif) 125 mg.kg-1 ig were found to inhibit 4-AP induced histamine release from rat PMC. Electron microscopy revealed that 4-AP caused partial degranulation of PMC and extrusion of granules and Min 200 mg.kg-1 ig retarded this phenomenon. These results provide evidence that potassium channels are present in rat mast cell membrane and indicate that the mechanism of histamine release by 4-AP may be related to its potassium channel blocking effect. As a result of this effect, the calcium channels open and Ca2+ influx to the mast cells increases, thus eliciting histamine release. Potassium channel openers seemed to be a new group of inhibitors of histamine release from mast cells.

The information transmission among various parts of the cortex are computed with the theory of mutual information from the data of the electroencephalogram (EEG) time series of normal human subjects. The intensities of these transmissions are characterized by the "complexity" measures. These measures have revealed to be sensitively related to the functional conditions of human beings.

4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) 1 mg.kg-1 sc at the scruff induced a licking response in mice. H1 receptor blockaders, such as diphenhydramine HCl (1, 10 mg.kg-1, sc at the scruff or 40 mg.kg-1, i.p.), chlorphenamine maleate (20 mg.kg-1, i.p.), and astemizole (2 mg.kg-1, i.g.), inhibited the licking response caused by 4-AP. Repeated injections of 4-AP (1 mg.kg-1) reduced the times of lick and the histamine content in the skin of injected site. 4-AP also promoted histamine release from incubated mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMC) in a dose-dependent manner. The results indicate that the licking response may originate from the histamine liberation of mast cells.

Twenty-two cases of secondary fungus ball of pulmonary aspergillosis defined by operation were reported. All cases were referred with incorrectly diagnosis to the authors and only 45.3% were correctly diagnosed before operation. The roentgenological and pathological findings were studied. The results show that not familiar with non-typical appearance is the most common cause for incorrect diagnosis.

4-Aminopyridine (4-AP), a known potassium channel blocker, was shown to induce histamine release from mast cells in mice. After ip 4-AP 5 mg.kg-1 the histamine content increased in blood, but decreased in the lung tissue. Calcium antagonists nifedipine (NIF) 500 mg.kg-1 ig, TMB-8 300 mumol.L-1 in vitro and potassium channel opener minoxidil (MIN) 100 mg.kg-1 inhibited the histamine release induced by 4-AP from mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMC). These results provide evidence that potassium channels are present in mouse mast cell membranes and indicate that the mechanism of histamine release by 4-AP may be related to the potassium channel blocking effect. As the result of this effect, the calcium channels open and the Ca2+ influx to the mast cells increases, thus eliciting histamine release.

The clinical study of 80 aged individuals divided into treated group (Group I) and normal control (Group II) was carried out. According to the symptoms of Kidney Deficiency the aged was subdivided into Kidney Deficiency group (KDG) and non-Kidney Deficiency group. A semi-quantitative method and some indexes about compliability were used to evaluate the symptoms.After treatment the main symptoms of Kidney Deficiency such as lumbago, cold limbs, fatigue, cold aversion, feverish sensation in chest, palms and soles, etc. were significantly alleviated (P0.05) and the speed of reaction (SR) that reflects NS function in Group I and its KDG was also significantly improved. After exercise test, the ultrasono-cardiogram showed that in KDG of Group I, the ascending range of heart rate (HR) lessened during exercise and recovered more rapid than that before treatment. The difference was significant (P0.05). The HR was also significant different between the KDG groups of Group I and II during resting, exercise and recovering status (P0.05). Furthermore, after treatment the level of salival progesterone of the aged female was significantly. The determination of bone mineral content showed that in KDG after treatment, the density of ulnar line was remarkably elevated. These results showed that through tonifying Kidney and replenishing Qi could improve the functions of heart, brain, bone and endocrine systems of the aged persons, therefore improve their compliability.

The best taxonomic results were obtained in the analysis of rhizomes of 9 species and 1 variety of Smilacaceae plants grown in Zhejiang Province by using pyrolysis-high resolution gas chromatography and numerical taxonomy. When compared with the result of thin layer chromatography, it was found that those by classical taxonomy were basically reasonable, but Smilax china should be divided into two types: one with big berries and the other with small berries.

In-situ YBa2Cu3O7 films of high quality (from a Jc(T, H) and Tc point of view) have been fabricated by both, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and on-axis rf magnetron sputtering techniques on SrTiO3 (100) and LaA103 (100) substrates. In the PLD method, a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with the 355 nm tripled wave length and the energy density of 8 J/cm2 has been used. In the on-axis rf magnetron sputtering method, the effects of negative oxygen ion re-sputtering have been nearly eliminated by introducing a grounded metallic mask between the target and the substrate. We have been successful in producing in-situ superconducting films at relatively low pressures as well as low substrate temperatures well outside the empirical Hammond-Bormann regime. Our films show zero resistance critical temperatures as high as 91.5 K. XRD measurements and Rocking curves of a (005) peak revealed that the films are highly c-axis oriented normal to the substrate and with the FWHM of less than 0.3 degree. The critical currents in these films determined from SQUID magnetometry at 77 K is found to be more than 106 A/cm2 with an exponential field and temperature dependencies. Some comparisons of the properties of the superconducting films obtained by the two different techniques are also presented.

In this paper, the thermal stability of TiN metal gate with various composition prepared by different preparation technology [(e.g., atomic layer deposition (ALD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD)] on HfO2 high-K dielectric is investigated and compared by physical and electrical analysis. After annealing of the TiN/HfO2 stack at 1000 °C for 30 s, it is observed that: (1) Nitrogen tends to out-diffuse from TiN for all the samples; (2) Oxygen from the interfacial layer (IL) between HfO2 and Si tends to diffuse toward TiN. PVD Ti-rich TiN shows a wider oxygen distribution in the gate stack, and a thinner IL than the N-rich sample. Ti penetration into HfO2 is also observed in the Ti-rich sample, which can potentially lead to the dielectric break-down. Besides, the oxygen out-diffusion can be significantly suppressed for ALD TiN compared to the PVD TiN samples.

Even after prolonged use in clinical practice, obstruction of the pancreatic duct in preventing fistula formation still lacks solid proof. Sixteen dogs were randomized into an pancreatic duct obstruction group and a control group. Four to 8 ml of silicon gel was injected into the pancreatic duct in the former group while the latter group received exploratory laparotomy only. The pancreas was examined histopathologically 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 months after operation. It was shown that the exocrine glands underwent marked atrophy but the endocrine glands showed only mild damage. Clinical studies on 27 patients who were operated for pancreatic cancers and diseases showed that pancreatic fistula developed in 7.7% of patients (1/13) in the obstruction group and 21% (3/14) in the control group.

Rage reaction was induced in mice by ip amphetamine sulfate (APT) 15 mg/kg. Mice appeared hyperreactive after 6 min and then squeaked and fought each other. These manifestations were most distinct in 15-30 min and subsided after 40-70 min. At 20 degrees C and 25 degrees C, the occurrence of rage reaction was 85.0% and 90.0% respectively. The ED50 of APT for eliciting rage reaction was 11.8 +/- 2.1 mg/kg ip. No significant difference in the induction of rage reaction was observed between male and female mice but ambient temperature affected the occurrence of this reaction. Neuroleptic drugs (chlorpromazine, haloperidol, tardan and clozapine), anxiolytic drugs (diazepam and meprobamate) and reserpine suppressed the rage reaction induced by APT in mice. Phenobarbital and pentobarbital (at sedative doses), atropine, scopolamine, phentolamine and propranolol exerted no influence on APT--induced rage reaction. Amantadine, levodopa and apomorphine at lower doses potentiated the rage inducing effect of APT. Moreover, at higher doses amantadine or levodopa alone also evoked rage reaction similar to that induced by APT. Therefore, it may be deduced that the APT-induced rage reaction results from increased release of dopamine in limbic system and has nothing to do with the simultaneous epinephrine release. The available data indicate that the APT--induced rage reaction in mice deserves to be recommended as an animal model for screening potential neuroleptic drugs. The merits and shortcomings of this new model are discussed.

Current sophisticated electronic structure simulations are at the forefront of understanding and predicting a variety of materials properties of intermetallic compounds. Several examples are given here that illustrate how first principles total energy local density methods have addressed the problems of (i) phase stability and the effect of ternary additions, (ii) anti-phase boundaries (APB’s) in B2 NiAl, FeAl and RuAl aluminides and other faults in determining their structural and bonding character. A key objective has been to attempt to understand, at the electronic level, fundamental quantities that may be related to the crucial ductility issue in high temperature intermetallics. Differences between observed ductility properties of related systems may relate to their differing electronic and bonding properties, particularly the nature of p-d hybridization and the directional charge distributions of the states near the Fermi energy.

In this paper, a new synthesis method called B-optimal robust regulation is developed. This improves the theory of H∞ -optimal robust regulation in such a way that the poles of the nominal closed-loop system can be located in a desired region in the left half complex plane which is called nice stability region (Ackerman, 1983) in addition to guaranteeing the robust regulation of the perturbed system. This will improve the dynamic performance of the nominal regulation system in many cases. The synthsis problem is solved by using the theory of H∞ -optimization, servocompensation and the bilinear transformation of complex plane.

An IBM PC/XT compatible microcomputer based system for recording intracellular pH with ion-selective microelectrodes is described. The method for making ion-selective microelectrodes, the designing ideas of the ion-selective microelectrode amplifier and method for improving the accuracy of measurement are addressed. The performance of the system meets the requirements of experiments. Accuracy of measurement, advantages and disadvantages of the system are discussed.