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Several cysteine and serine protease inhibitors previously shown to block TCR-induced death of 2B4 T hybridoma cells were tested for their ability to block various T lymphocyte apoptotic death systems. TCR-induced death of both peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cell blasts was inhibited similarly to the hybridoma, but cell death in these cells induced by anti-Fas, gamma-irradiation, etoposide, or extracellular ATP was not blocked. For T cell lines, cell death induced by CTL or by IL-2 withdrawal was also not inhibited. TCR-induced death of immature CD+8+ thymocytes triggered by culture on immobilized anti-CD3 was not blocked by these protease inhibitors, whereas similar death induced in the resting CD4+8- thymocyte subset under these conditions was inhibited similarly to the T cell blasts. TCR-induced proliferation of the latter subset was modest in the absence of exogeneous IL-2, but was enhanced two- to fourfold by the protease inhibitors. These results show that a protease-dependent death pathway can be triggered by the TCR in mature T cells; similar protease-dependent steps are not common to the TCR-triggered activation pathway or other apoptotic death pathways in these cells.

This paper is one of a series prepared on the behalf of the IEEE system operation committee to focus industry attention on current problems faced by power system operators. The paper contains 6 short-note reports, describing current and emerging needs of electric utilities in the power generation emissions area. >

Background: Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) is a serious complication of blood transfusion that is characterized by high fever, a scaly maculopapular erythematous rash, diarrhea, hepatocellular damage with inarked elevation of liver function test values, and pancytopenia. It can occur in immunocompetent as well as immunocompromised recipients. The existence of atypical TAGVHD that resolves spontaneously and does not exhibit all of the manifestations has been suggested, but there has been to date no documented diagnosis of GVHD supported by evidence of engraftment. Case Report: A female patient presented and was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML:M4), and, after unsuccessful combination chemotherapy, she received a transfusion and developed manifestation of TA-GVHD as well as evidence of chimerism. TA-GVHD was proved by demonstrating Y chromosome-specific genes in the skin by polymerase chain reaction. The manifestations of clinical GVHD abated within 4 months. Conclusion: Polymerase chain reaction analysis of Y chromosomes in specimens from female patients is useful in the diagnosis of suspected cases of spontaneously resolving TA-GVHD

We have investigated topological spin textures in the ferromagnetic metallic phase of La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 with the centrosymmetric crystal structure by small-angle electron diffraction (SmAED) and low-temperature Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments. In-situ Lorentz TEM and SmAED experiments revealed that type-I and type-II magnetic bubbles evolved from magnetic stripe domains with the Bloch-type domain wall by applying vertical magnetic field. Type-I magnetic bubbles with left-handed and right-handed spin helicity were randomly distributed and simultaneously type-II magnetic bubbles are formed locally. The important point about type-I and type-II magnetic bubbles is that their emergence depends strongly on whether perpendicular magnetic field is applied parallel to the magnetic easy axis along the [001] direction. Our experimental results suggested that the stabilization of magnetic bubbles should originate from the long-range dipole-dipole interactions, as opposed to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in helical magnets.

Psoriasis represents one of the T-helper (Th)17-mediated autoimmune diseases, and has been shown to be associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). It has been reported that some adipokines and Th17-related cytokines are altered in patients with psoriasis.To examine the relationship between levels of adipokines and Th17-related cytokines in the serum of patients with psoriasis compared with healthy controls.We enrolled 30 patients with psoriasis and 30 normal controls in the study, and used ELISA to measure serum adipokines and Th17-related cytokines. The association between each adipokine and each cytokine was determined using Pearson correlation analysis. Multiple regression analysis using all adipokines and Th17-related cytokines as covariates was also performed.Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong positive association between chemerin and resistin levels and between adiponectin and high molecular weight adiponectin in normal controls. By contrast, in patients with psoriasis, resistin levels were significantly positively associated with tumour necrosis factor-α, while there was a strong negative association between retinol binding protein-4 and interleukin (IL)-6 levels. Interestingly, a marked positive correlation between IL-22 and adiponectin was also found in patients with psoriasis. Leptin levels correlated positively with IL-6 in patients with psoriasis, but this did not reach significance. The correlations identified by the multiple regression analyses were almost identical to those from the Pearson analyses.These data suggest that distinct interaction between adipokines and Th17 cytokines is involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

The Na(+) /Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) is a plasma membrane transporter involved in regulating intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations. NCX is critical for Ca(2+) regulation in cardiac muscle, vascular smooth muscle, and nerve fibers. However, little is known about the physiological role of NCX in the myenteric neurons and smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract.To determine the role of NCX1 and NCX2 in gastrointestinal tissues, we examined electric field stimulation (EFS)-induced responses in the longitudinal smooth muscle of the distal colon in NCX1- and NCX2-heterozygote knockout mice.We found that the amplitudes of EFS-induced relaxation that persisted during EFS were greater in NCX2 heterozygous mice (HET) than in wild-type mice (WT). Under the nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) condition, EFS-induced relaxation in NCX2 HET was similar in amplitude to that of WT. In addition, an NCX inhibitor, YM-244769 enhanced EFS-induced relaxation but did not affect EFS-induced relaxation under the NANC condition, as in NCX2 HET. Unlike NCX2 HET, NCX1 HET displayed no marked changes in colonic motility. These results indicate that cholinergic function in the colon is altered in NCX2 HET. The magnitude of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced contraction in NCX2 HET was similar to that in WT. In contrast, EFS-induced ACh release was reduced in NCX2 HET compared with that in WT.In this study, we demonstrate that NCX2 regulates colonic motility by altering ACh release onto the myenteric neurons of the distal colon.

A prediction method for both yield and tensile strengths of stainless steels from room temperature to liquid helium temperature (4K) has been developed by JAEA in order to rationalize qualification tests of cryogenic structural materials used in large superconducting magnet for a fusion device. This method is to use quadratic curves which are expressed as a function of carbon and nitrogen contents and strengths at room temperature. This study shows results of tensile tests at 4K and confirmation of accuracy of prediction method for tensile strengths at 4K for large forgings and thick hot rolled plates of austenitic stainless steels, which can be used in the actual coil case of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) toroidal field (TF) coils. These products are 316LN having high nitrogen and maximum thickness is 600mm. As the results, it was confirmed that the materials which satisfied ITER design requirement can be manufactured and the tensile strengths of these products at 4K can be predicted by using appropriate quadratic curves.

Twenty-five percent of the total toroidal field (TF) coil conductors at the ITER are supplied by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The jacket section of a TF conductor is made of modified 316LN. The JAEA tested three types of tensile specimens (Japanese-Industrial-Standards-type and ASTM-type) cut from the jacket at 4.2 K. The ASTM-type specimen had a longer and wider reduced section than did the JIS-type specimen. The results of the test showed that the EL of the as-received (AR) jacket was independent of the specimen shape. However, after cold working and aging, the EL of the specimens deteriorated because of sensitization, and the EL distribution in these specimens was larger than that in the case of the AR specimens. It could be inferred that the shape of a test specimen having low ductility is the key determinant of the specimen's susceptibility to fracture.

To determine whether the induction of Th2 cell tolerance down-regulates Ag-induced eosinophil recruitment into the tissue, we studied the effect of the in vivo pretreatment with anti-ICAM-1 mAb, anti-LFA-1 mAb, and a soluble Ag on Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration in the trachea of sensitized mice. The in vivo pretreatment with anti-ICAM-1 mAb, anti-LFA-1 mAb, and a soluble Ag inhibited Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration in the mouse trachea in an Ag-specific manner. The pretreatment with anti-LFA-1 mAb and the Ag also had a weak inhibitory effect on the Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration. In contrast, the pretreatment with Ag alone, the combination of anti-ICAM-1 mAb and anti-LFA-1 mAb alone, or the combination of anti-ICAM-1 mAb and the Ag had no significant effect. In addition, the pretreatment with the two mAb and the Ag and, to a lesser degree, the pretreatment with anti-LFA-1 mAb and the Ag also prevented Ag-specific IgE production in mice. In vitro Ag-induced IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 production was decreased in spleen cells of the mice pretreated with anti-ICAM-1 mAb, anti-LFA-1 mAb, and the Ag, but not with Ag alone or with the combination of anti-ICAM-1 mAb and anti-LFA-1 mAb alone, indicating the induction of both Th1 and Th2 cell tolerance in vivo. These results indicate that the induction of Th2 cell tolerance prevents Ag-induced eosinophil recruitment into the tissue and IgE Ab production and that ICAM-1/LFA-1 interaction is involved as a costimulatory signal in inducing T cell tolerance to a soluble Ag.

For precise thermal control in satellites under varying internal heat dissipation and thermal boundary condition, we propose a high-fill factor MEMS radiator enhanced by the near-field effect. We have successfully fabricated a prototype with parylene shared springs and achieved a fill factor of as high as 89%. It is found that at the ON state, the diaphragm temperature is increased from 58.0 °C to 106.4 °C, showing 144% enhancement in the radiation heat flux.

We describe the design, fabrication and application of ballistic collection transistors (BCTs) in which electron velocity overshoot is introduced in the collector of a GaAs-based heterojunction bipolar transistor. The guideline for the BCT design is the effective confinement of electrons to the Γ-valley, as simulated by Monte Carlo analysis, and the control of electron energy is accomplished basically with an i-p+-n+ doping profile. Microwave characterization demonstrates the existence of significant overshoot and cutoff frequencies higher than 100 GHz at collector current densities in the mid 104 A/cm 2 range for a typical BCT structure. Some high speed integrated circuits implemented with BCTs include a selector circuit that operates at bit rates up to 40 Gb/s, a dynamic frequency divider with divide-by-four function up to 50 GHz and a broadband preamplifier having an S21 bandwidth as high as 40 GHz.

Team 2 of the Ottawa FLARES 22 Workshop dealt with observational and theoretical aspects of the characteristics and processes of energy release in flares. Main results summarized in this article stress the global character of the flaring phenomenon in active regions, the importance of discontinuities in magnetic connectivity, the role of field-aligned currents in free energy storage, and the fragmentation of energy release in time and space.

In a murine model of airway late phase reaction, we have previously shown that Ag-induced eosinophil recruitment into the tissue of sensitized mice is mediated by CD4+ T cells and IL-5. To determine whether IFN-alpha regulates Ag-induced eosinophil recruitment into tissue, we studied the effects of rIFN-alpha, endogenous IFN-alpha production induced by poly I.C, and anti-IFN-alpha mAb on the eosinophil infiltration of the trachea induced by Ag inhalation in mice. The i.p. administration of rIFN-alpha prevented Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration in the trachea of sensitized mice. In addition, the inhibitory effect of rIFN-alpha on Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration was not recovered by pretreatment with anti-IFN-gamma mAb. The administration of rIFN-alpha also inhibited Ag-induced CD4+ T cell infiltration in the trachea. However, the administration of rIFN-alpha did not significantly affect blood eosinophil counts nor the number of blood and splenic CD4+ T cells. On the other hand, pretreatment with anti-murine IFN-alpha mAb enhanced Ag-induced eosinophil and CD4+ T cell infiltration in the trachea. Finally, endogenous IFN-alpha/beta production induced by poly I.C also inhibited Ag-induced eosinophil infiltration in the trachea and this inhibition of the eosinophil infiltration was abrogated by pretreatment with anti-IFN-alpha/beta mAb. These results indicate that IFN-alpha suppresses Ag-induced eosinophil and CD4+ T cell recruitment into tissue.

Oxygen diffusion coefficients, D , have been measured in α -Zr single crystals in directions both parallel and perpendicular to the c -axisThe measurements, made in the interval 610–870 K, show that diffusion anisotropy is weak and that D is little affected by specimen impurity content. The values determined here are in good agreement with the bulk of previous literature data for the same temperature interval but they are about ten times larger than corresponding values found in a very recent AES study.

The early phases of three flares, observed by the Nobeyama Radio Heliograph, are studied. Nonthermal and thermal radio sources are identified by comparison with soft X-ray images taken by the Soft X-ray Telescope onboard the Yohkoh satellite. Two of the flares are mainly of nonthermal origin and their location coincides with one of the footpoints of soft X-ray loops. Another flare has both thermal and nonthermal components which start to brighten simultaneously. This suggests that particle acceleration and plasma compression develop simultaneously.

A new 17-GHz radio interferometer dedicated for solar observations was constructed in two years at Nobeyama, Nagano. It consists of eighty-four 80-cm-diameter antennas arranged in a tee-shaped array extending 490 m in east-west and 220 m in north-south directions. Since late June of 1992, radio full-disk images of the Sun have been observed for 8 h every day. The spatial resolution is 10" and the temporal resolution is 1 s and also 50 ms for selected events. Every 10 s correlator data are synthesized into images in real time and displayed on a monitor screen. The array configuration is optimized to observe the whole Sun with high spatial and temporal resolution and a high dynamic range of images. Image quality of better than 20 dB is realized by incorporation of technical advances in hardware and software, such as (1) low-loss phase-stable optical-fiber cables for local reference signal and IF signals, (2) newly developed phase-stable local oscillators, (3) custom CMOS gate-array LSTs of 1-b quadraphase correlators for 4/spl times/4 combinations, and (4) new image processing techniques to suppress large sidelobe effects due to the solar disk and extended sources. >

Konstantinov et al, in October, 1991, published a novel way to bridge a patient for heart transplantation. They proposed to cut off both ventricles high under the atrioventricular groove, leaving the atria, aorta, and pulmonary artery and their valves intact and to attach pneumatically driven, valveless pulsating pouches to assist the heart until a donor could be found. The removal of the ventricles just below the atrioventricular groove is called the "high cut"; it, however, destroys the chordae tendineae rendering the mitral and tricuspid valves insufficient. These have to be replaced by tissue inflow valves. We chose to cut off the ventricles at a lower level (the "low cut") to leave the papillary muscles on both sides intact, thereby saving the integrity of the mitral and tricuspid valves. Pulsating pouches were made to fit the heart at this lower level. They can be easily connected to the remaining heart after a specially disigned cuff has been sutured over the ventricular stumps. The pouches were pumped during the systole of the natural heart, but the myocardium may have to be electrically stimulated during systole to prevent undue distension. If the turgor is too weak to prevent distension, a sleeve over the ventricles is provided. To find the best location for these pouches, human cadaver implantations were done and the pre peritoneal cavity was found to be the most suitable. In vitro testing to determine how much flow could be pumped was done by attaching the pouches to fresh pig hearts and connecting them to a double sided mock circulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

There is a worldwide interest in supporting the failing heart with a skeletal muscle by either wrapping it around the natural heart (dynamic cardiomyoplasty) or by constructing a skeletal muscle ventricle (SMV) used for counterpulsation. Conventional cardiomyoplasty in many clinics carries an operative mortality rate of 15-20% partly because it requires 6 weeks to train the muscle to contract continually. A flexible, pear-shaped blood pump with an inflatable air chamber was designed and made around which a muscle can be wrapped. The advantage of our design is that it can also be driven by pneumatic power, immediately supporting the circulation of a seriously ill patient while that patient is still on the operating table. After a period of time to allow for revascularization and the subsequent training of the muscle, the external pneumatic power can be gradually discontinued. Then the assisted patient becomes tether-free. If, at any time, the muscle power fails, the pneumatic-powered mechanism can be reactivated. In the preferred approach, the blood pump is connected to the aorta for diastolic counterpulsation. A muscle can either be wrapped around the blood pump directly, or around one of two separate muscle pouches connected to the blood pump. To facilitate surgery, a large pouch is inserted under the musculus latissimus dorsi, which is connected to a blood pump. When stimulated, the muscle will contract over the pouch compressing it and providing power to the blood pump. If it is found that the pressure generated in the pouch cannot meet the aortic blood pressure, it can be augmented by using a pressure amplifier.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Two approaches have been used to assess the hypothesis that granzymes secreted by cytotoxic lymphocytes act within the target cells to trigger an internal disintegration pathway leading to target cell lysis. The lytic properties of several clones of rat basophilic leukemia cells transfected with either cytolysin (perforin) alone (RBL-cy) or a combination of cytolysin and granzyme A (RBL-cy-gza) were compared with cloned CTL. Analysis of the kinetics of target cell 125I-DNA vs 51Cr release with three tumor targets showed negligible DNA release with RBL-cy, less extensive 125I-DNA release relative to 51Cr release with RBL-cy-gza effector cells, whereas CTL caused greater or equal DNA release than 51Cr release at all time points. Using three different tumor target cells, comparison of RBL-cy-gza and RBL-cy clones in multiple experiments shows that RBL-cy-gza are on average more than threefold more lytic than RBL-cy. This distinction was not seen with red cell targets, in which an internal disintegration pathway does not operate. A second approach to this issue consisted of cytoplasmic loading of tumor target cells with aprotinin, a macromolecular protease inhibitor known to inhibit granzyme A and probably other granzymes. Although the control BSA-loaded target cells were essentially identical to nonloaded targets in all cases, aprotinin-loaded targets showed substantially lower release of both 51Cr and 125I-DNA with both CTL and RBL-cy-gza effector cells. In contrast, aprotinin-loaded targets were lysed with the same efficiency as control targets by RBL-cy effector cells. We conclude that secreted granzymes contribute to target lysis by triggering a target cell internal disintegration pathway that leads to both lysis and DNA breakdown.

Permeabilities for pure gases of H2, He, CH4, NH3, H2O, N2, N2, O2 and CO2 were measured at trans-membrane pressures up to 0.2 MPa and 303, 423, 523 and 773 K for two types (with small pores and large pores) of composite zirconia-silica membranes coated on the surface of porous ceramic tubes (0.5μm). The composition of the metal-alkoxides solution used successfully in the coating process was Zr (OC3H7) 4 : 3.09, Si (OC2H5) 4 : 7.20, Y (CH3COO) 3.4H2O : 0.21, i-PrOH : 89.50 in molar %.At low temperatures, with large-and small-pore membranes, the permeation mechanism for H2O, NH3 and CO2 is surface diffusion, and for other gases it is Knudsen flow.At higher temperature, with a large-pore membrane, the permeation mechanism for H2O, NH3, CO, and CH4 is Knudsen flow, and for other gases it is a combination of Knudsen flow and activated diffusion. With a small-pore membrane, for H2O it is Knudsen flow, and for all other gases it is activated diffusion.

Time series of total column abundances of hydrogen chloride (HCl), chlorine nitrate (ClONO2), and hydrogen fluoride (HF) were determined from ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra recorded at 17 sites belonging to the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) and located between 80.05° N and 77.82° S. These measurements are compared with calculations from five different models: the two-dimensional Bremen model, the two chemistry-transport models KASIMA and SLIMCAT, and the two chemistry-climate models EMAC and SOCOL. The overall agreement between the measurements and models for the total column abundances and the seasonal cycles is good. Trends of HCl, ClONO2, and HF are calculated from both measurement and model time series data, with a focus on the time range 2000–2009. Their precision is estimated with the bootstrap resampling method. The sensitivity of the trend results with respect to the fitting function, the time of year chosen and time series length is investigated, as well as a bias due to the irregular sampling of the measurements. For the two chlorine species, a decrease is expected during this period because the emission of their prominent anthropogenic source gases (solvents, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)) was restricted by the Montreal Protocol 1987 and its amendments and adjustments. As most of the restricted source gases also contain fluorine, the HF total column abundance was also influenced by the above-mentioned regulations in the time period considered. The measurements and model results investigated here agree qualitatively on a decrease of the chlorine species by around −1 % yr−1. The models simulate an increase of HF of around +1 % yr−1. This also agrees well with most of the measurements, but some of the FTIR series in the Northern Hemisphere show a stabilisation or even a decrease in the last few years. In general, for all three gases, the measured trends vary more strongly with latitude and hemisphere than the modelled trends. Relative to the FTIR measurements, the models tend to underestimate the decreasing chlorine trends and to overestimate the fluorine increase in the Northern Hemisphere. At most sites, the models simulate a stronger decrease of ClONO2 than of HCl. In the FTIR measurements, this difference between the trends of HCl and ClONO2 depends strongly on latitude, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

Patients who present at hearing clinics with a conductive hearing loss (CHL) in the presence of an intact, healthy tympanic membrane create a unique challenge for otologists. While patient counseling, treatment options, and outcome vary with differing middle‐ear pathologies, a non‐invasive diagnostic that can differentiate between these pathologies does not currently exist. We evaluated the clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy of two non‐invasive measures of middle‐ear mechanics: ear‐canal reflectance (ECR) and umbo velocity (VU).

The ITER superconducting magnet system consists of 18 Troidal Field (TF) coils, 6 Central Solenoid (CS) modules, 6 Poloidal Field (PF) coils and 18 Correction coils. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), acting as the Japan Domestic Energy Agency (JADA) in the ITER project, is responsible for the procurement of 9 TF coil winding packs (WP), structures for 19 TF coils, (including one spare), and assembly of the WP and the coil structures for 9TF coils [1]. TF coil structures, which support large electromagnetic force generated in TF coils under the cryogenic temperature (about 4K), are the mega welding structures composed of coil case and support structures made of heavy thickness high strength and high toughness stainless steel. JAEA started the study on welding trials for the materials to be used since 2008 and have been demonstrating of full scale mock-up model fabrication for main sub-components since 2010. This paper introduces the results on welding trials and status of full scale mock-up model fabrication before fabricating actual products. Enough weld joint performance was obtained with the base metal of JJ1 (FMJJ1 specified by JSME (The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers) Code [2] and is developed in Japan) and SS316LN (FM316LN specified by JSME Code), and also their combination using JJ1 filler wire (FMYJJ1 specified by JSME Code and is developed in Japan) by narrow gap GTAW process. Welding deformation such as angular distortion between outer plate and side plates of U-shape segment could be controlled and minimized by using effective restraint jig in trial manufacturing of 1m long leg. Validity of welding technology and manufacturing design are confirmed during full scale mock-up model fabrication. And also investigations such as UT (ultrasonic test) and effective welding process for rationalization have been performed.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

In recent years, since heat dissipation rates and high frequency electronic devices have been increasing, a heat sink with high heat transfer performance is required to cool these devices. Heat sink utilizing micro-channels with several ten microns are expected to provide an excellent cooling performance because of their high heat transfer capacities due to small channel. Therefore, various porous materials such as cellular metals have been investigated for heat sink applications. However, heat sink using conventional porous materials has a high pressure drop because the cooling fluid flow through the pores is complex. Among the described porous materials, a lotus-type porous metal with straight pores is preferable for heat sinks due to the small pressured drop. In present work, cooling performance of the lotus copper heat sink for air cooling and water cooling is introduced. The experimental data for air cooling show 13.2 times higher than that for the conventional groove fins. And, the data for the water cooling show 1.7 times higher than that for the micro-channels. It is concluded that lotus copper heat sink is the most prospective candidate for high power electronics devices.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

A 26-year-old male was found naked and excited in the backyard of his neighbor's house. He was carried to a nearby hospital, and returned home with his family, but took a sudden turn for the worse and died. In a judicial autopsy, the ethanol concentration of blood was found to be 0.58 milligrams, and methamphetamine (MA) was detected in his blood by thin-layer chromatography. The concentration of MA in his blood was 4.38 mumol/dl, higher than the fatal level. The amount of MA in his stomach was 5.8 mg (34.58 mumol/100 g), indicating that he ingested MA by internal use. Among the autopsy cases of acute MA poisoning reported in Japan, hyperesthesia is known to last 1-3 h before death, whether the administration is by intravenous injection or orally. But the present case is quite unusual, as the death followed 6 h or more of hyperesthesia. This was attributed to the patient's combined intake of alcohol with MA, as it is known to decrease the mortality in mice.

The amino acid sequence of biliverdin-IX beta reductase (EC1.3.1.24) from human liver was determined by automated Edman degradation of peptides generated by enzymatic and chemical cleavages. The enzyme was a single polypeptide chain of 204 amino acid residues, and its amino acid sequence had no significant homology to that of rat liver biliverdin-IX alpha reductase. Biliverdin-IX alpha reductase from human liver had intense homology to the rat enzyme. Cysteinyl residues are essential for the enzymatic activity of biliverdin-IX alpha, but nonessential for that of biliverdin-IX beta reductase. The results strongly indicate that the two enzymes, biliverdin-IX alpha reductase and biliverdin-IX beta reductase, are distinct in enzymatic action mechanisms as well as ancient origins of gene.

Some of the vanadium alloys have been found recently to exhibit enormous amount of swelling. The factor common to most of these high-swelling alloys is that they have undersized solutes as alloying elements. Several possible mechanisms for the large swelling have been discussed in previous papers, while the interpretation is still not conclusive. In order to clarify the mechanism of the observed large swelling, the evolution of microstructure in several vanadium-based binary alloys has been examined by electron microscopy after irradiation at 400, 500 and 600°C in JOYO to displacement levels between 4.6 and 14 dpa. Among the alloys studied, the maximum swelling at the damage level of approximately 14 dpa was observed in the V-5 at% Fe alloy and was as high as 30% at 600°C. Alloys with oversized solutes show only limited amounts of swelling. Detailed microstructural examination has been conducted and it has been found that there is a systematic difference in the dislocation Burgers vectors with solute atomic size factor, with the exception of V-1% Si. The mechanism of the large swelling is discussed in terms of the observed microstructural differences in the two groups of alloys.

A rare case of mucin-producing poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the thyroid is reported in a 58-year-old man. Light microscopically, the tumor composed of columnar cells, cuboidal cells and spindle cells and these tumor cells showed a various growth pattern; glandular growth with columnar cells, microfollicular growth with cuboidal cells and solid growth with spindle cells. Mucin histochemistry showed scattered foci of mucin production. Immunohistochemistry showed a focal positive staining for thyroglobulin and carcinoembryonic antigen, but a negative staining for calcitonin throughout the tumor. The patient had cervical and axillary lymph node recurrences after the radical operation. The histologic finding of this tumor is peculiar; we report this case briefly.

The ability of the InGaAs/InGaAlAs multi-quantum-well (MQW) system to achieve ultra-low-chirp operation under 10-Gb/s operation is experimentally demonstrated. The MQW active layer has been grown by a solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method. Two metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) regrowths were used to fabricate the distributed-feedback (DFB) buried ridge structure (BRS) lasers. DFB BRS lasers with good static and spectral performance have been obtained. Under 10-Gb/s modulation those lasers exhibited a chirp value as low as 0.11 nm at -20 dB, which is attributed to an extremely small phase-amplitude coupling coefficient of 1.8. An analysis of the AM and FM modulated laser field under digital pseudorandom signal confirms the observed spectra and shows the possibility of an optimum spectrum width for lasers with small chirping. >

Conditions for the existence of recursion operators are studied for arbitrary-order scalar partial differential equations with two independent variables. The coefficients of the operator are successfully determined by those of the terms with higher degree. For a class of second-order equations, the operators with degree one are completely determined.

In this study, three new antigens (O9, O10 and O11) of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis are described. The O1 antigen is further subdivided into O1a, O1b and O1c. The methods used to prepare specific antisera for O-antigen identification are also described. Furthermore, the H antigens of these new serogroups are determined and their biochemical characteristics analysed. The antigenic formulae of the known serogroups within the basic antigenic scheme introduced by the authors' laboratories are presented.

Development of a hollow cooling monolithic (TMC-FF) conductor has been carried out by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) since 1988. Manufacture of the toroidal model pancake (TMP) made of the TMC-FF conductor was completed in August, 1991, after trial manufacturing and verification tests. Experiments on the TMP started in January, 1992, in the Demo Poloidal Coil (DPC) test facility. Results of cooldown, pressure drop, stability, and mechanical performance of the TMP are presented. >

Resistive characteristics of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ superconductor thin film quenched by a current was investigated. Thin films prepared on MgO substrates by the laser ablation method were used, and their current-resistance characteristics under current-quenching were investigated. A resistance appeared quickly above a critical current and then increased to about 8 Omega within few milliseconds, which depended on input power to the film. To investigate characteristics of the current-quenched superconducting film, a one-dimensional heat transfer equation was numerically solved using a finite-difference method. By comparing these experimental and numerical results it was found that nonuniformities in current density or temperature may exist in the quenching thin film. >

The effect of axial strain, epsilon /sub a/, on the critical current, I/sub c/, of Nb/sub 3/Al cable-in-conduit subconductors has been measured for I/sub c/ >

Diffusion coefficients of oxygen have been measured in vanadium and dilute substitutional alloys (V-1Si, V-0·-1Al, V-0·-1B, V-5Cr, V-5Fe, V-5Mo, V-5Nb, V-5Ti and V-3Ti-2Si where the compositions are in approximate atomic per cent) over the temperature range 489–774 K. The 16O was injected by ion implantation. The diffusion penetration profiles were measured by the 16O(d,p)17•O nuclear reaction method. The temperature dependence of the oxygen diffusivity in vanadium is expressed as The addition of silicon and aluminium hardly affects oxygen diffusion, while the addition of iron, niobium and boron decreases the diffusivity by 20–70%, and the addition of chromium and molybdenum decreases the activation energy by 10–15%. The most significant alloying effect is observed in V-3Ti-2Si and V-5Ti alloys. The diffusivity in V-5Ti alloy is about two orders of magnitude lower than that in vanadium. This effect is interpreted as evidence for a trapping effect due to titanium; the binding energy is estimated t...

Six patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) were studied to determine whether such cases have some common clinical and laboratory findings. DLE preceded SS in all cases. Three patients had diffuse scleroderma with lung and esophagus involvements and the others limited scleroderma. Three patients had anti-topoisomerase-I and antiribonucleoprotein antibodies, 2 had either of them and the remaining anticentromere antibodies. Four had DLE located on the scalp, leading to alopecia. The other 2 had DLE on the face and extremities. No case fulfilled criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The present cases with SS and DLE, but without SLE, indicate that this type of systemic-cutaneous collagen disease overlap does exist and may be not so rare.

A Monte Carlo analysis of nonequilibrium electron transport in InAlGaAs/InGaAs HBTs is discussed. The discussion focuses on hot electron transport in a heavily doped p-type base from the viewpoint of high-speed transistor performance. Simulation shows that a hybrid base structure which incorporates an abrupt emitter/base junction and a graded base layer has a shorter base transit time than conventional uniform base structures with an abrupt emitter or fully graded base structures. The short base transit time is due to the high initial electron velocity provided by the abrupt emitter/base junction and the acceleration of energy-relaxed electrons (which cause a lowering of average electron velocity in the base region) by a built-in electric field in the graded base layer. The influence of hot electron injection into the collector is also considered. >

表面型大腸早期癌(IIa型)から発育,進展したと考えられる最大径10mmのS状結腸進行癌の1切除例を報告した.症例は腹痛を主訴に来院した77歳女性.全大腸内視鏡検査でS状結腸に粘膜ヒダの集中,発赤,自然出血を伴う扁平隆起性病変があり,病変部には蠕動の中断を認めた.生検所見はgroup Vで,CEAは3.3ng/mlであった.内視鏡所見から癌の深達度は粘膜下層塊状浸潤ありと診断し,手術を施行した.手術所見はH0P0S0N0でS状結腸切除術を施行した.摘出標本で癌の大きさは最大径10mmで,組織所見は中分化腺癌,深達度ss,脈管浸潤ly1,v1,リンパ節転移陰性であった.病変の表層は一層の腺管からなり,高さは正常粘膜の2倍以下とIIa型大腸早期癌の形態を残していた.表面型大腸上皮性腫瘍の発育,伸展形式を示唆する1例と考え報告した.

To identify genes cluster for thermophilin 1277 produced by Streptococcus thermophilus SBT1277.To identify genes for thermophilin 1277 production, the chromosomal DNA region surrounding the structural gene, tepA, was sequenced using a primer-walking method. The thermophilin 1277 biosynthesis gene locus (tep) is a 9·9-kb region, which consists of at least ten open reading frames (ORFs) in the following order: tepAMTFEGKRI and ORF4. Homology analysis showed high similarity to genes involved in bovicin HJ50 production by Streptococcus bovis HJ50. tepI encodes a novel, small, positively charged hydrophobic peptide of 52 amino acids, which contains a putative transmembrane segment. By heterologous expression in Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris MG1363, the TepI-expressing strain exhibited at least 1·3 times higher resistance to thermophilin 1277.Thermophilin 1277 biosynthesis genes were encoded by a 9·9-kbp region containing at least ten ORFs. TepI is a novel immunity peptide, which protected Strep. thermophilus SBT1277 against thermophilin 1277 in addition to TepFEG, a putative ABC transporter.This is the first report regarding a lantibiotic gene cluster produced by Strep. thermophilus strain.

In this study, a procedure is established for evaluating the watershed water quality risk reduction after earthquake disasters. Using the method of scenario planning, the risk scenario of watershed water quality in the aftermath was developed as a model of decision tree that can describe the uncertainty events, decision-making and emergency response. Using the watershed water quality risk scenario and the watershed flow model based on box model with mass balance, a model for evaluating the watershed water quality risk was developed. Numerical simulation analysis for estimating the watershed water quality risk in Lake Biwa and Yodo River basin after an earthquake disaster was conducted. Furthermore, the effectiveness of countermeasures against watershed water quality risk was estimated. As a result, it was pointed out that the comprehensive countermeasures with cooperation of stakeholders in the watershed water quality, including information sharing, would reduce considerable watershed water quality risk. Consequently, it was indicated that implementation of the cooperative countermeasures for preservation of watershed water quality for water supply with stakeholders related to watershed water quality would reduce watershed water quality risk in the aftermath effectively.