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Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-154481doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2005.05.014View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-11-05, modified on 2017-05-12

In order to drive the electric machines using the motors efficiently, the energy loss should be minimized during its operation. It has been reported that the design methodology of the optimal torque and rotating speed trajectories to minimize the energy loss of the induction motor (IM) drive system when the operation time, rotating speed, and rotational angle are given as drive conditions. However, the amplitude of the obtained optimal torque trajectory may exceed the maximum rating torque of the motor. The obtained optimal rotating speed trajectory also may exceed the maximum acceptable rotating speed of IM. This paper proposes a design methodology of the optimal trajectories for IM drive system by means of the variational method and the Newton-Raphson iteration when both the torque amplitude and the rotating speed limits are given simultaneously.

For the development of the silicon micro strip detector with the pitch of the readout strips as large as 250 μm on the ohmic side, we made samples with different structures. Charge collection was evaluated to optimize the width of implant strips, aluminum read-out strips, and/or the read-out scheme among strips.

A prototype time-of-flight counter for the CDF detector was tested in magnetic fields up to 1.5 T using a test beam line of 2 GeV/ c , T-1, at the KEK-PS. The counter of a 3 m long scintillator bar (BC-408) of 4 × 4 cm 2 in cross section is viewed by a newly developed 38 × 38 mm 2 square-shaped fine-mesh photomultiplier tube at each end. In the first test the time resolution for a single photomultiplier after being corrected for the contribution from a reference counter was measured to be about 130 ps in a magnetic field of 1.2 T in the tube axial direction when the beam was perpendicularly incident at the middle of the counter, and it was found to be essentially constant in the magnetic field range below 1.2 T. This result implies that the prototype TOF counter with two fine-mesh photomultipliers can give a time resolution of about 100 ps in this field range. In the second test after the scintillator surface was damaged time resolutions were measured in magnetic fields up to 1.5 T. Data indicate a slight degradation in time resolution with increasing magnetic field above 1 T. The time resolution becomes poorer by about 20% at 1.5 T compared with those below 1 T.

Energy straggling in pulse height distributions of plastic scintillation counters of 4 and 10 cm in thickness was measured for 1 GeV/c pions and studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Calculated energy loss distributions are in good agreement with the experimental data and also with the prediction by the Landau straggling function.

In order to study the relationship between the gelling characteristics and the physical properties of gelatin, five gelatin samples having different properties were prepared by ultrasonic wave irradiation of the original gelatin. The setting times of these modified gelatins were measured by means of the thermal sensor method. The empirical expression (1), which was previously obtained' from the setting time (t), the concentration of the gelatin solution (C) and the cooling temperature (T) was applied to study the gelling characteristics of gelatin.t = a-(T/C) + b (1)As a result of studying the relation between the coefficients a, b and the physical properties of the gelatins, it was found that the coefficient a depended on the percentage of high molecular components in the gelatin. It was clear that the viscosity of the modified gelatins irradiated with the ultrasonic wave influenced their gelling characteristics.

A pMOS pixel to be used in a striplike two-dimensional readout single-sided detector has been developed and tested. It is originally proposed for upgrades of the vertex detector of the BELLE experiment at the KEK B-factory: in order to overcome low signal-to-noise ratio of the double-sided silicon strip detector to be used presently. This device gathers the pMOS transistor amplification with the typical silicon pin diode used in particle detection. In a 100/spl times/100 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ n-type collecting electrode a double drain pMOS transistor is implanted, providing (1) a two-dimensional readout and (2) direct signal amplification. With the subdivision in pixels, which lowers the detector capacitance, a high signal-to-noise ratio is expected. The two-dimensional readout and the low noise advantages of this structure can be used for detection of any electromagnetic radiation as well as high energy charged particles. Nuclear physics, space and astrophysics instrumentation, are also potential field of application for the pMOS pixel. We briefly review here the principle of the structure and describe the test of the prototypes in detail.

Cosmic ray tests were performed by using five drift tubes with a pair of simple field shapers originally developed for the muon detector of the SDC. Spatial resolutions, a multi-track-measurement capability, and multi-pulse rates were measured for the originally proposed non-flammable gases, Ar(88%) + CO2(12%), Ar(90%) + CO2(10%), and “fast gases”, Ar + C2H6 +CF4, with several mixture ratios, for various conditions of hight voltage applied at the anode wire and the field shapers.

Generally speaking, a high field superconducting magnet like a dipole magnet needs a large excitation current, and its equipment for current excitation becomes very large and complicated for operation. So the authors have developed a magnetic system composed of a superconducting magnet and a superconducting transformer basically used for the reduction of the excitation current 1 . In this study, a fundamental test of the magnet system has been conducted to examine the working principle, and the effectiveness of this system was verified together with the possible reduction in excitation current for the high field superconducting magnet.

A subset of type 2, but not type 1, CD4 T cell clones expresses IL-3R and can be stimulated by IL-3. Expression of IL-3R on these type 2 T cell clones is induced by TCR stimulation, and subsequent stimulation by IL-3 augmented the proliferation of and IL-4 production by these cells. This augmented response is inhibited by anti-IL-4 mAb, suggesting the involvement of IL-4 in this response. In place of TCR stimulation, treatment of these type 2 CD4 T cell clones with PMA rendered them responsive to further stimulation of proliferation by IL-3, indicating the cooperation between the IL-3R-elicited signals and PKC-mediated signals in stimulating proliferation. Although the augmentation of the TCR-mediated proliferative response by IL-3 was mainly due to the increased production of IL-4, we also demonstrated the presence of IL-4-independent mechanism mediating the response to IL-3. In situ, we found that splenic T cells could be induced to respond to Il-3 by TCR stimulation. Thus, IL-3 can stimulate a specific population of T cells and influence the immune response.

Inclusive baryon-antibaryon pair production was studied in two-photon events which were collected at thee + e − collider TRISTAN, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 303 pb−1. Correlations between a baryon and an antibaryon were studied for their flavors (p orΛ) and their momentum vectors. The experimental results were compared with the expectations from a jet-fragmentation Monte Carlo simulation. We have found that although the ratios of the cross sections of different baryon-flavor combinations are consistent with the Monte Carlo expectations, the cross section shows an excess over the Monte Carlo expectation in a low invariant-mass region of final-state particles at large angles, that indicates a significant contribution from higher-order QCD or non-perturbative effects. The experimental data show no narrow azimuthal-angle correlation, which is expected from a jet-fragmentation Monte Carlo. A search for exclusiveΛ pair production has also been made. We have no candidates and have obtained the upper limit for the cross section.

Mini-tower beam tests were carried out at a test beam line of KEK-PS in order to study the performance of the prototype level-1 trigger system and drift tubes with field-shapers originally designed for the SDC barrel muon detector at the SSC. A mini-tower of 10 layers, 31 drift tubes in total, and a prototype level-1 trigger module were designed and fabricated for the tests. The spatial resolution of about 230 μm was obtained for the tubes. Relatively high rates of multi-pulse signals were observed for most of the tubes. The trigger module designed at KEK using a logic delta- T method was studied for various trigger logics and its performance was found to be very satisfactory.

Internal photoemission spectroscopy characteristics for a PtSi/p-type Si Schottky-barrier diode have been studied. The authors present a one-dimensional calculation of the internal photoemission spectroscopy for Schottky-barrier diodes, taking into account the effective barrier height and the position from the PtSi/p-type Si interface. The internal photoemission spectroscopy characteristics so calculated are then compared with the measured characteristics obtained for PtSi/p-type Si Schottky-barrier diodes under different PtSi thicknesses and applied voltage conditions. The hot hole escape depths in both PtSi and Si are then determined and the excitation energy effects are presented.

We measured the cross section for the γγ→π + π - process in the pion pair invariant mass range of 1.0–1.5 GeV/ c 2 with the VENUS detector at TRISTAN. The γγ decay width of the f 2 (1270) resonance was obtained by using Vermaseren's model and a partial wave analysis. The results from both analyses were in good agreement. The partial wave analysis indicated the presence of a J=0 component around at 1.2 GeV/ c 2 with a resonance-like structure.

A large‐aperture (150 mm and 230 mm in diameter) x‐ray TV‐type detector has been developed for x‐ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation. The detector consists of a beryllium‐windowed x‐ray image intensifier, an optical lens, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor, and data acquisition system. The spatial resolution is 270 μm(FWHM), and the dynamic range is 6000:1. The noise level is quantum limited. The nonuniformity of response and image distortion is corrected by software. When a TV‐rate (NTSC‐mode) CCD is used as an image sensor, time‐resolved measurements with a rate of 30 frame/s can be achieved with its noise quantum limited.

Objective. To find clinical features of a virologically-confirmed patient with primary human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) infection and a relationship of the excretion of viruses between HHV-7 and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). Patient and Methods. A 13-month-old boy who had a known prior history of exanthem subitum at 6 months of age developed fever for 3 days and a skin rash appeared as the fever was resolving. The course was accompanying with nonspecific signs and symptoms such as anorexia, irritability, mild diarrhea, palpebral edema, mild inflammation of pharynx, and mild occipital and cervical lymphadenopathy. Heparinized blood samples were used for isolation of HHV-6 and HHV-7 and detection of both virus DNA sequences by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Samples from other body sites were also tested for their DNA sequences using the PCR. Both virus antibody activity was measured by an indirect immunofluorescent assay or a neutralization test. Results. Cultured mononuclear cells from the patient at the acute stage of the disease produced morphologic changes, which reacted only with the monoclonal antibody to HHV-7 but not with the antibody to HHV-6. Both viruses were not isolated from blood obtained at the convalescent stage. An antibody response of the patient indicated a seroconversion to HHV-7 but not to other microbial agents including HHV-6 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Both virus DNA sequences were detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at acute and convalescent stages. HHV-7 DNA was excreted into saliva and transiently into stool at an early convalescent stage followed by HHV-6 excretion into saliva. No HHV-7 and HHV-6 was excreted into urine. Conclusions. Clinical features of a virologically confirmed patient with primary HHV-7 infection were comparable with those of primary HHV-6 infection and HHV-7 infection may reactivate HHV-6.

AIMS--To evaluate the influence of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and other inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha)) on the occurrence of peritonitis in patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS--The study population comprised 12 patients with peritonitis, 33 without peritonitis, all undergoing CAPD, and five patients undergoing peritoneal catheter implantation. Cytokine concentrations in dialysis fluid were determined by immunoassay and their values compared. RESULTS--Concentrations of both IL-8 (median 147 pg/ml, range 20-2273 pg/ml; n = 12) and IL-6 (median 1120 pg/ml, range 96-10,600 pg/ml) were substantially elevated, while the IL-1 beta concentration was lower and TNF alpha was not detectable in patients at diagnosis. The IL-6 concentration was also elevated in patients undergoing catheter implantation as well as in those with peritonitis. The IL-8 concentration, however, was elevated only upon infection. Intraperitoneal production of IL-8 was evident on determination of paired serum and dialysis fluid cytokine concentrations, and immunostaining of peritoneal cells with monoclonal anti-IL-8 antibody. CONCLUSIONS--These results suggest that determination of the IL-8 concentration in dialysis fluid maybe useful as a specific marker for following patients with peritonitis receiving CAPD.

A bioinformatic and phylogenetic study has been performed on a family of penicillin–binding proteins including D–aminopeptidases, D–amino acid amidases, DD–carboxypeptidases, and β –lactamases. Significant homology between D–aminopeptidase from Ochrobactrum anthropi and other members of the family has been shown and a number of conserved residues identified as S62, K65, Y153, N155, H287, and G289. Three of those (Ser62, Lys65, and Tyr153) form a catalytic triangle – the proton relay system that activates the generalized nucleophile in the course of catalysis. Molecular modeling has indicated the conserved residue Lys65 to have an unusually low pKa value, which has been confirmed experimentally by a study of the pH–profile of D–aminopeptidase catalytic activity. The resulting data have been used to elucidate the role of Lys65 in the catalytic mechanism of D–aminopeptidase as a general base for proton transfer from catalytic Ser62 to Tyr153, and vice versa, during the formation and hydrolysis of the acyl – enzyme intermediate.

A noncanonical pathway of transforming growth factor-β signalling, the c-Abl/protein kinase C-δ (PKC-δ)/Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (Fli1) axis, is a powerful regulator of collagen synthesis in dermal fibroblasts.To investigate the significance of the c-Abl/PKC-δ/Fli1 pathway for the establishment of the profibrotic phenotype in lesional dermal fibroblasts from patients with localized scleroderma (LSc).The activation status of the c-Abl/PKC-δ/Fli1 pathway was evaluated by immunoblotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation using cultured dermal fibroblasts from patients with LSc and closely matched healthy controls and by immunostaining on skin sections. The effects of a platelet-derived growth factor receptor inhibitor AG1296 and gene silencing of c-Abl on the expression levels of type I collagen were evaluated by immunoblotting.The phosphorylation levels of Fli1 at threonine 312 were increased, while the total Fli1 levels and the binding of Fli1 to the COL1A2 promoter were decreased, in cultured LSc fibroblasts compared with cultured normal fibroblasts. Furthermore, in cultured LSc fibroblasts, the expression levels of c-Abl were elevated compared with cultured normal fibroblasts and PKC-δ was preferentially localized in the nucleus. These findings were also confirmed in vivo by immunohistochemistry using skin sections. Moreover, gene silencing of c-Abl, but not AG1296, significantly suppressed the expression of type I collagen in cultured LSc fibroblasts.Constitutive activation of the c-Abl/PKC-δ/Fli1 pathway at least partially contributes to the establishment of the profibrotic phenotype in LSc dermal fibroblasts, which provides a novel molecular basis to explain the efficacy of imatinib against skin sclerosis in a certain subset of LSc.

The cell surface protein CD93, expressed on endothelial and myeloid cells, mediates phagocytosis, inflammation and cell adhesion. A soluble form of CD93 (sCD93) is released during inflammation.To determine the serum sCD93 level and its association with clinical parameters in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).Serum sCD93 levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 59 patients with SSc, 24 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 47 healthy individuals. The expression of CD93 in skin tissues was examined immunohistochemically. In a retrospective longitudinal study, sera from 11 patients with SSc were analysed.Serum sCD93 levels were increased in patients with SSc compared with healthy individuals (P0·001). Patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc showed greater levels of sCD93 than those with limited cutaneous SSc (P0·01) or systemic lupus erythematosus (P0·01). Serum sCD93 levels correlated positively with the severity of skin sclerosis. Strong CD93 immunostaining was observed on endothelial cells in lesional skin tissues. In the longitudinal study, sCD93 levels decreased in parallel with improvement in skin sclerosis.Serum sCD93 levels are increased in patients with SSc and correlate with the severity and activity of skin sclerosis. CD93 may contribute to the development of skin fibrosis in SSc.

A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 12 is one of the metalloproteinase-type ADAMs and possesses extracellular metalloprotease and cell-binding functions. ADAM12 is expressed in two alternative forms, such as a membrane-anchored form (ADAM12-L) and a short secreted form (ADAM12-S).To investigate the clinical significance of serum ADAM12-S levels in systemic sclerosis (SSc).Serum ADAM12-S levels were determined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 61 SSc patients and 18 healthy controls.Serum ADAM12-S levels were significantly increased in diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) patients than in healthy controls (0.417 ± 0.389 vs. 0.226 ± 0.065 ng/mL; P0.05), while being comparable between limited cutaneous SSc (0.282 ± 0.258 ng/mL) and healthy controls. Serum ADAM12-S levels significantly elevated in dcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤ 6 years (0.537 ± 0.449 ng/mL, P0.05), but not in dcSSc with disease duration of6 years (0.225 ± 0.049 ng/mL), compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, in dcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤ 6 years, serum ADAM12-S levels correlated positively with modified Rodnan total skin thickness score, ground glass score, and serum C-reactive protein values, while showed inverse correlation with fibrosis score.Elevated serum ADAM12-S levels are associated with elevated serum inflammatory marker, severity of skin fibrosis, and activity of interstitial lung disease in dcSSc, suggesting the possible contribution of ADAM12-S to the pathological events in this disorder.

B-cell-activating factor belonging to the tumour necrosis factor family (BAFF) is known for its role in the survival and maturation of B cells. It has been recently suggested that BAFF also plays important roles in T-cell activation in T-cell mediated diseases such as psoriasis.To investigate the role of BAFF in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).BAFF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in skin samples (24 CTCL cases and seven healthy controls) and in skin-derived fibroblasts (five CTCL cases and five healthy controls) was examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We also performed immunohistochemical staining for BAFF and its receptors. Serum BAFF levels were measured in patients with CTCL (n=46), atopic dermatitis (n=36) or psoriasis (n=27) and 27 healthy controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Lesional skin of CTCL contained higher levels of BAFF mRNA than normal skin and the expression levels correlated with disease activity. BAFF mRNA expression levels were elevated in fibroblasts from CTCL skin. Tumour cells in the lesional skin of CTCL expressed BAFF and its receptors, while fibroblasts expressed only BAFF. Serum BAFF levels of CTCL patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls and correlated with types of skin lesions and clinical stages. They also significantly correlated with serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor and lactate dehydrogenase levels.BAFF expression in CTCL skin and serum BAFF levels are significantly increased and correlate with the severity of CTCL. These results suggest that BAFF may have important roles in the development of CTCL.

CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 18 is expressed by monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), and has potent chemotactic activity for T cells, B cells and DCs. CCL18 expression is up-regulated in lesional skin of atopic dermatitis and bullous pemphigoid, suggesting its important roles in the development of these skin diseases.To investigate roles of CCL18 in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).The CCL18 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in CTCL skin (n = 21) and in normal skin (n = 7) was examined by quantitative RT-PCR. CCL18 expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Serum CCL18 levels were measured in 38 patients with CTCL and 20 healthy controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also analysed correlation between serum CCL18 levels and other clinical and laboratory data.The CTCL lesional skin contained higher levels of CCL18 mRNA than normal skin. CCL18 was expressed by dermal macrophages and DCs in CTCL skin. Serum CCL18 levels in patients with CTCL were significantly higher than those of healthy controls and correlated with types of skin lesions. They also significantly correlated with modified severity-weighted assessment scores, serum sIL-2R, LDH, IL-4, IL-10, IL-31, CCL17 and CCL26 levels. Patients with high serum levels of CCL18 showed significantly poor prognosis compared with those with low CCL18 levels.CCL18 mRNA is up-regulated in CTCL lesional skin, and serum CCL18 levels are significantly increased and correlated with the severity of CTCL. These results suggest that CCL18 may be associated with the development of CTCL.

Retinol binding protein-4 (RBP-4) is a member of adipocytokines, which is potentially associated with fibrosis, vasodilation, and angiogenesis in addition to insulin resistance.To investigate the clinical significance of serum RBP4 levels in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), which is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and vasculopathy.Serum RBP4 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 62 SSc patients and 19 healthy controls.Similar to patients with chronic kidney disease, serum RBP4 levels inversely correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate in SSc patients with renal dysfunction. Therefore, analyses were carried out by excluding SSc patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) . Serum RBP4 levels were significantly lower in diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) than in control subjects [median (25-75 percentile); 25.8 μg/mL (19.6-47.0) vs. 43.1 μg/mL (31.7-53.4), P0.05], while there was no significant difference between limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) [28.0 μg/mL (25.4-43.3)] and control subjects. In both of dcSSc and lcSSc, patients with Raynaud's phenomenon had RBP4 levels significantly lower than those without. Furthermore, serum RBP4 levels inversely correlated with pulmonary function test results in dcSSc and with right ventricular systolic pressure in lcSSc. CONCLUSION Decreased RBP4 levels are associated with the prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon in dcSSc and lcSSc, with the severity of interstitial lung disease in dcSSc, and with the degree of pulmonary vascular involvement in lcSSc, suggesting the possible contribution of RBP4 to the pathological events in this disorder.

The ability to catalyze highly chemo, regio, and enantioselective transformations under mild reaction conditions has generated a huge interest in nitrile-hydrolyzing enzymes, nitrile hydratase, and nitrilase. Nitrilases have been found to be present in many fungi, yeast, plants, and to a much greater extent in microorganisms. After the initial discovery of the involvement of nitrilases in regulating plant growth, its applications have taken a huge leap forward into industrial biotechnology. The scope of synthetic application of nitrilases has further been significantly broadened by the discovery of enzymes capable of accepting a wide range of molecules as substrates using molecular approaches such as metagenome screening or genome databases, the ability to perform reaction engineering to overcome limitations, and approaches that engineer the enzyme and improve its characteristics as compared with what has been achieved by natural evolution.

Overhead ground wires (GW) are vulnerable to strand breakage due to lightning strikes. With the wider application of composite fiber optic ground wire (OPGW), it becomes more important to protect GW from such damage. In this paper, the authors present the results of various investigations made in developing lightning-resistant GW/OPGW. Investigations included field experiments using rocket-triggered lightning, studies on materials and designs to improve lightning characteristics and various evaluation tests, such as DC arc tests, of several prototypes. As a result, the authors have developed lightning-resistant GW/OPGW applicable for conventional transmission lines. >

Experimental studies of open charm production in two-photon processes have been performed. In the measurement, charmed hadrons were identified by electrons from their semi-leptonic decays. The result was compared with calculations based on the direct process and photon-gluon fusion process by resolved photons. We found that the effect of the gluon component in a photon is substantial in the observed events.

We have studied single photon production in e + e − annihilation based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 164.1 pb −1 at s =58 GeV . The single photon yield is consistent with the prediction of the standard model with three light neutrino species. No anomalous signal has been observed. From this result left- and right-handed scalar electrons in the mass degenerate case are excluded at 90% CL below 44.4 GeV/ c 2 for the massless photino.

A search has been made for a light scalar top squark ([ital [tilde t]][sub 1]), which has remained unexcluded by previous [ital e][sup +][ital e][sup [minus]] experiments up to the [ital Z][sup 0] pole. By assuming the decay [ital [tilde t]][sub 1][r arrow][ital c]+[ital [tilde Z]][sub 1] (lightest neutralino), [ital e][sup +][ital e][sup [minus]] annihilation data at [ital E][sub c.m.]=58 GeV have been analyzed. The number of events comprising large-acoplanarity particle groups is consistent with that expected from known processes. We excluded [ital [tilde t]][sub 1] in the mass range 7.6--28.0 GeV/[ital c][sup 2] and [ital [tilde Z]][sub 1] with a mass very close to the kinematical limit at the 95% C.L.

The Belle spectrometer was designed for studies of B meson decays at an asymmetric e + e − collider operating at the ϒ(4S) resonance. One of its crucial components, a silicon vertex detector (SVD), is placed just outside a cylindrical beryllium beam-pipe. After a year of Belle operation an upgraded version of SVD was installed during the regular summer shut-down. The new SVD follows the same design, with a few important improvements. Rad-soft readout electronics was replaced by rad-tolerant one, allowing for longer lifetime of the detector. A new radiation and temperature monitoring system was developed and implemented. A saw-shaped inner surface was introduced in the beam-pipe to prevent potential synchrotron radiation damage. The upgraded detector started operating successfully in October 2000.

Apelin is a bioactive peptide exerting its pro-angiogenic and pro-fibrotic effects in a context-dependent manner through the activation of its receptor APJ, which is ubiquitously expressed on the surface of various cell types. The activation of apelin/APJ signalling appears to be involved in the pathological process of fibrotic disorders, including liver cirrhosis.As an initial step to clarify the role of apelin/APJ signalling in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), we investigated serum apelin levels and their clinical association in patients with SSc.Serum apelin levels were determined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 56 SSc patients and 18 healthy controls.Serum apelin levels were comparable among three groups, including diffuse cutaneous SSc, limited cutaneous SSc and control subjects (1.77 ± 1.48, 1.63 ± 1.51 and 1.61 ± 0.44 ng/mL, respectively). When we classified SSc patients into three groups according to disease duration, serum apelin levels were elevated in early SSc (3 years) compared with mid-stage SSc (3-10 years) (1.74 ± 1.26 vs. 1.02 ± 0.52 ng/mL, P0.05). Importantly, in late stage SSc (10 years), the prevalence of severe vascular involvements, including intractable skin ulcers, scleroderma renal crisis and pulmonary arterial hypertension, was significantly higher in patients with elevated serum apelin levels than in those without (100% vs. 20%, P0.05).Apelin may be associated with altered and activated angiogenesis prior to fibrotic responses in early SSc and with the development of proliferative vasculopathy in late stage SSc.

CD26 is a multifunctional type II transmembrane glycoprotein, which also exists as a secreted isoform, soluble CD26 (sCD26). The CD26 expression on circulating T cells is decreased in some skin diseases such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and psoriasis. It remains to be determined whether sCD26 can be used as a marker of skin diseases or not.To investigate utility of sCD26 as a diagnostic marker of skin diseases in combination with thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC).Serum sCD26 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 130 participants including 32 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD); 45 patients with CTCL; 26 patients with psoriasis; and 27 healthy controls.Serum sCD26 levels in patients with CTCL and psoriasis (162.1 ± 80.2 ng/mL and 125.4 ± 82.1 ng/mL respectively) were significantly lower than those of healthy controls (392.6 ± 198.7 ng/mL; P0.01 and 0.01 respectively). In patients with CTCL, serum sCD26 levels of patients with advanced stage were 135.0 ± 51.5 ng/mL and they were significantly lower than those with early stage (193.1 ± 96.0 ng/mL; P0.05). When we used serum sCD26 and TARC levels for diagnostic criteria, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for AD, CTCL and psoriasis were 65.2-73.7%, 81.4-97.6%, 65.2-94.4%, and 81.4-88.9% respectively.Serum sCD26 levels, combined with serum TARC levels, are helpful in diagnosis of AD, CTCL and psoriasis.

Bosentan is an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist, which has been shown to be efficacious for preventing new digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in two high-quality randomized controlled trials. However, its efficacy for nondigital ulcers in SSc remains unknown.To evaluate the efficacy of bosentan on nondigital ulcers in patients with SSc.Bosentan was administered to five patients with SSc with pulmonary arterial hypertension, who also had nondigital ulcers refractory to conventional treatments. The efficacy of bosentan on nondigital ulcers and its association with clinical features of ulcers were analysed.The nondigital ulcers refractory to conventional treatments were significantly improved by the administration of bosentan in cases surrounded with severe cyanosis. In contrast, nondigital ulcers without cyanosis were still refractory to bosentan therapy.Bosentan may be efficacious for accelerating the healing of nondigital ulcers with severe cyanosis, suggesting that nondigital ulcers caused by severely impaired peripheral circulation are highly responsive to this treatment.

Adiponectin has been demonstrated to be one of anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic factors, suggesting the potential of this cytokine to be involved in the developmental process of systemic sclerosis (SSc).The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of serum adiponectin levels in patients with SSc. Methods Serum adiponectin levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 32 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 28 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 27 healthy controls. No significant difference between these groups existed in terms of gender, age and body mass index.Serum adiponectin levels in dcSSc patients (4.93 ± 6.48 μg/mL) were significantly lower than those in lcSSc patients (9.69 ± 7.61 μg/mL, P0.01) and healthy controls (9.36 ± 5.57 μg/mL, P0.01). dcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤5 years had significantly decreased serum adiponectin levels (2.15 ± 1.69 μg/mL) than those with disease duration of5 years (13.29 ± 8.36 μg/mL, P0.01), lcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤5 years (8.07 ± 7.98 μg/mL, P0.05), lcSSc patients with disease duration of5 years (10.9 ± 7.34 μg/mL, P0.01) and healthy controls (9.36 ± 5.57 μg/mL, P0.01). Longitudinal studies in five patients with early dcSSc treated with oral prednisone demonstrated that serum adiponectin levels inversely correlate with the activity of progressive skin sclerosis in dcSSc patients.Serum levels of adiponectin may serve as a useful marker to evaluate the activity of progressive skin sclerosis in dcSSc.

Tie2 and its ligand, angiopoietins (Ang), regulate the transition between vascular quiescence and angiogenesis. Although defective angiogenesis is one of the major causes of microangiopathies in systemic sclerosis (SSc), the role of Ang/Tie2 signalling in the development of SSc has never been examined.To investigate the clinical significance of the soluble Tie2 domain (sTie2) in serum samples from SSc patients.Serum sTie2 levels were determined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 48 SSc patients and nine normal controls.There was no significant difference in serum sTie2 levels between SSc patients and healthy controls (14.8 ± 3.4 vs. 14.7 ± 1.1 ng/mL). When we set the cut-off value at 16.97 ng/mL (mean + 2SD) based on the data of normal controls, 27% of SSc patients showed elevated serum sTie2 levels. The frequencies of nailfold bleeding and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were significantly higher in patients with increased serum sTie2 levels than in those with sTie2 levels not elevated (70% vs. 47% and 60% vs. 21%, respectively, P0.05). There was also a trend towards the elevation of serum sTie2 levels in SSc patients with PAH compared to those without; however, it did not reach statistical significance (16.7 ± 3.6 vs. 14.2 ± 3.4 ng/mL, P = 0.059).Soluble Tie2 domain (sTie2) may be related to the development of vascular abnormalities in SSc, possibly by modulating the Ang/Tie2-mediated angiogenic process. Furthermore, the serum sTie2 levels may serve as a useful marker for SSc-related PAH, contributing to early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

Potential of generating entangled photon pairs from a Cooper‐pair light emitting diode is demonstrated with experimental and theoretical studies.

This paper proposes a heterogeneous wireless communication network with soft handover in the application layer. The proposed network requires no upgrades of wireless infrastructure and mobile terminals to evolve the present homogeneous networks to the proposed heterogeneous network. Only installing application programs on the content server side and the mobile terminal side is required. The performance of the proposed network has been evaluated in a field trial using a mobile broadband wireless access (MBWA) air interface with wide coverage and a wireless local area network (WLAN) air interface with high throughput. The field trial results show that the maximum value of the handover outage time is only 170 ms. The proposed heterogeneous wireless communication network is promising since both high throughput and wide coverage area are attained by a combination of the proposed handover scheme with the present homogeneous wireless networks.

Adult female Diploptera punctata haemolymph extract was separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and fractions that coeluted with allatostatins I–V inhibited juvenile hormone synthesis by corpora allata in vitro. Saline extract of haemolymph was heated to 100°C, purified by reverse-phase C18 solid phase extraction and then by high-pressure liquid chromatography separation on a reverse-phase C18 column. Fractions corresponding to the elution times of allatostatins I–IV and allatostatin V were collected from each chromatographic separation. Similar fractions were combined and reapplied to the same column. Inhibition was found in fractions with elution times corresponding to allatostatins IV, I–III and V. Percent inhibition in these fractions from haemolymph of 13–14-day mated females was 44±7, 57±3 and 55±3, and 70±3, respectively (∼1.2 ml haemolymph equivalents/CA). To determine whether allatostatins in the haemolymph can inhibit the corpora allata, D. punctata allatostatins I and V and a related active peptide, callatostatin 5 from Calliphora vomitoria, were injected into mated females on days 1–3 after ecdysis at 12 h intervals. As controls, luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, truncated allatostatin I (N-terminal 1–7, unamidated) and water were injected. On day 4, length of basal oocytes and/or juvenile hormone synthesis by the corpora allata were significantly lower in animals injected with active allatostatins compared with water-injected controls, whereas, they were not affected by injection of inactive peptides.

A front end circuit was designed for a large-size drift tube of a muon detector. The circuit was fabricated with a hybrid circuit technology, which included a preamplifier as well as a shaping amplifier. The circuit was characterized by input impedance, electronic noise, time walk and jitter. The impact of transmission properties on the drift tube were studied in terms of a time domain analysis.

Modulation of expression of the c-kit proto-oncogene product, the receptor for the recently identified stem cell factor, was studied on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated cultures of CD34+ normal bone marrow progenitor cells, blast cells from patients with primary acute myelogenous leukemia, cells from the leukemia cell lines HEL and MO7E, as well as cultured HMC-1 mast cells. Expression of c-kit was assessed on both RNA and protein level employing standard Northern blotting, reverse transcription, and polymerase chain reaction-based Southern blotting, as well as cell surface labeling with anti-c-kit mAb YB5.B8. Treatment of virtually all cell types with nontoxic concentrations of TPA (10(-9) M) for at least 48 h was associated with down-regulation of synthesis of c-kit transcripts and stem cell factor-receptor surface expression. Studies on the mechanism of action of TPA utilizing the HEL erythroleukemia line showed that TPA was primarily acting by accelerating the turnover of c-kit RNA most likely through induction of a destabilizing protein. The effect of TPA on c-kit expression levels was independent of TPA-mediated induction of differentiation since other compounds including IFN-gamma, vitamin D3, retinoic acid, arabinofuranosylcytosine, butyric acid, and camptothecin, which also effectively induced differentiation of HEL cells, failed to alter levels of c-kit expression.

We have studied the production of charged D ∗ mesons in e + e − annihilation at an average center-of-mass energy of 58.0 GeV. Charged D ∗ mesons were identified using two independent methods; the mass-difference method and the detection of the low transverse-momentum pion. The forward-backward asymmetry of the charm quark production was measured to be A c = −0.61±0.13(stat.)±0.08(syst.). The cross section of inclusive D ∗ production was found to be σ(e + e − →D ∗ ± +X) = 24.5 ± 5.3 ( stat. )±3.0( syst. ) pb. If we assume the standard model prediction for the charm quark production, we obtain the branching ratio for the charm quark to produce a charged D ∗ meson to be Br (c→D ∗+ + X) = (22±5( stat. )±3( syst. ))% .

Inclusive momentum spectra of charged particles in three-fold symmetric three-jet (qqg) and two-jet +\ensuremath{\gamma}(qq\ensuremath{\gamma}) events taken from ${\mathit{e}}^{+}$${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ annihilation at center-of-mass energy of 58 GeV were compared. The spectrum of gluon jets was found to be significantly softer than that of quark jets with the same energy and topology.

We here report that human lung fibroblasts respond to x-ray treatment (XRT) with release of interleukin (IL)-6. Synthesis of IL-6 upon ionizing radiation is preceded by an increase of IL-6 transcript levels resulting from transcriptional activation of the IL-6 gene. Analysis of deleted fragments of the IL-6 promoter indicated that transcriptional activation of the IL-6 promoter was due to enhanced binding activity of the transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B. Although AP-1 did not participate in the rapid induction of the IL-6 promoter, its binding activity was also enhanced by XRT. In contrast to binding kinetics observed with NF-kappa B, AP-1 binding following XRT was biphasic with the second peak being dependent on de novo protein synthesis. In contrast, however, NF-IL-6 activity was not enhanced by XRT in fibroblasts. The introduction of both the NF-kappa B- and the AP-1 recognition sequence conferred inducibility by XRT to a heterologous promoter, with reporter gene activity being maximal 24 or 48 h following XRT, respectively. Sequential activation of two distinct transcription factors might thus contribute to synchronize transcriptional activation of different genes participating in the x-ray response.

Mouse CD8+ T cell clones could be subdivided into two subgroups by the pattern of cytokine production and CD45 isoforms that exactly corresponded with the functionally assigned cytotoxic (CTL) and suppressor (Ts) subsets. All the Ts clones invariably produced IL-10 after stimulation with immobilized anti-CD3, whereas none of CTL clones expressed mRNA of IL-10 by the same stimulation. All the CTL clones were positive for CD45RA Ag, a product of exon 4 of CD45 gene, whereas none of the Ts clones were positive for this Ag. The results are analogous to the situation within CD4+ T cell clones in which Th1 and Th2 subtypes can be distinguished by CD45 isoforms and cytokines they produce. Ts clones could suppress the proliferative responses of both Th1 and Th2 type CD4+ clones by the production of two different cytokines, IL-10 and IFN gamma, respectively, but none of the CTL clones could suppress the proliferation of CD4+ T cells. The participation of an additional nonspecific molecule in the suppression of antibody response is suggested.

Heavy neutral spinless particles are searched for using e + e − collision data of CM energies between 54 and 64 GeV, collected with the VENUS detector at TRISTAN. The existence of such a particle might explain the anomalous e + e − → l + l − γγ reaction recently reported by a LEP experiment. Negative results lead to constraints on the partial decay width of such particles to electrons: in narrow resonance cases, Γ ee Γ ee ΓB γγ c 2 .