Search

The clonality of T-cell populations mediating acute and chronic rejection (AR and CR, respectively) of kidney allografts was ascertained by investigating the diversity of TCRBV genes expressed by allograft-infiltrating T cells. Both oligoclonality and polyclonality cases were found in biopsy specimens of AR as well as CR. These results indicated that the T-cell clonality in each specimen did not correlate directly with the mode of rejection. When AR and CR specimens were compared, however, the CR specimen group was significantly more polyclonal (or less oligoclonal) than the AR group. This result may reflect the higher chance of epitope spreading in the more slowly progressing CR than in AR.

The aim of this study was to establish a model experiment system to elucidate the mechanism by which Zn-protoporphyrin IX (ZPP) is formed in Parma ham. The established model consisted of myoglobin, meat and antibiotics, and incubation under anaerobic conditions resulted in a greater yield of ZPP. Formation of ZPP was observed even in the presence of various antiseptics. The amount of ZPP formed increased as the period of incubation increased. ZPP formation was inhibited by heating meat homogenate depending on the heating temperature. Our results show that anaerobic conditions are suitable for the formation of ZPP in meat products without nitrate or nitrite and that endogenous enzymes as well as microorganisms may be involved in ZPP formation.

Aims To investigate possible associations between diabetic microangiopathy and genetic polymorphisms in factors relevant to arterial thrombosis. Methods We conducted a case-control study on a total of 280 patients with Type 2 diabetes, comparing those without retinopathy or nephropathy (n = 92) and those with microangiopathies (n = 188), for the association of polymorphisms in four candidate genes, paraoxonase 1 (PON1), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, fibrinogen, and platelet glycoprotein Ibα. Results There were no differences between the two study groups in gender distribution, age at diagnosis of diabetes (47.9 ± 8.4 and 49.0 ± 11.4 years, respectively), or duration of diabetes (14.9 ± 4.5 and 14.5 ± 8.4 years, respectively). Among the gene polymorphisms tested, the 192Gln/Arg polymorphism of PON1 was associated with the prevalence of retinopathy [odds ratio (OR) = 3.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.42–6.89, P = 0.0046, Gln/Gln vs. Gln/Arg and Arg/Arg]. This polymorphism was also associated with nephropathy (OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.30–6.98, P = 0.0103). There were no differences between the three PON1 genotypes (Gln/Gln, Gln/Arg, and Arg/Arg) with regard to the present disease status. Logistic regression analysis for the adjustment of other risk factors revealed that genotypes with PON1 192Arg were an independent predictor of retinopathy. No associations were found between microangiopathies and the other polymorphisms evaluated (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, fibrinogen, and platelet glycoprotein Ibα). Conclusions This study suggests that the presence of the 192Arg-allele in the PON1 gene is a genetic risk factor for microangiopathy in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabet. Med. (2004)

The frequency of the gseA gene encoding a glutamic acid-specific serine protease, GluSE, of Staphylococcus epidermidis was investigated. DNA hybridization analysis demonstrated that gseA existed exclusively in S. epidermidis but not in other bacteria examined. A single step PCR assay with a set of designed primers yielded amplification of gseA from all 69 clinical isolates of S. epidermidis taken from patients and healthy adults, whereas production of GluSE was observed in 74% (51/69) of the isolates. Furthermore, none of the 46 clinical isolates of other species of coagulase-negative staphylococci and 45 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus showed amplification, except a Staphylococcus capitis strain. However, this strain was positive for a S. epidermidis-specific DNA region and the DNA sequence of the 16S rRNA gene showed 99% identity with that of S. epidermidis. Therefore, these results indicated that the present PCR assay for gseA was ubiquitous and highly specific for detection of S. epidermidis.Key words: Staphylococcus epidermidis, glutamic acid-specific protease, PCR assay, molecular identification.

Clathrate hydrate formation in the system methane + 3-methyl-1-butanol + water is demonstrated. The data of four-phase-equilibria for methane + 3-methyl-1-butanol + hydrate + water equilibria are determined in the temperature range of 273–282 K. The equilibrium pressures at temperatures below 279 K are lower, by 0.4 MPa at most, than those of structure I hydrate formed in the methane + water system without 3-methly-1-butanol, suggesting the formation of a hydrate different from structure I methane hydrate. Conversely, at temperatures above 279 K, the equilibrium pressures are higher by 0.2 MPa than those of the methane structure I hydrate, suggesting the thermodynamically inhibited formation of structure I methane hydrate. To confirm the crystallographic structures of the hydrates, X-ray diffraction and Raman-spectroscopy measurements were performed with hydrate crystal samples prepared at two conditions: at 274.0 K and 2.55 MPa, and at 279.5 K and 6.30 MPa. The measurements revealed a structure II hydrate formation at the lower temperature, contrary to the expectation of the structure H hydrate formation. The hydrate formed at the higher temperature was determined to be of structure I.

Recent advances in the radiological diagnosis in thyroid neoplasms have been achieved by high-resolution ultrasonography and color-Doppler, and the ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol injection therapy have been developed on the basis of these modalities. Ultrasonography and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy have made minimally invasive thyroid surgery possible. The surgical procedures are classified into three main categories according to the approach, and each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. Surgeons have to select the most suitable approach from one of these categories of approaches for each patient with a thyroid neoplasm.

To understand the dynamics of photoinduced volume changes in chalcogenide glasses, we developed the real-time in situ surface height measuring system based on optoelectronic and image processing technologies. This new method provides us a record of in situ volume changes in chalcogenide glasses during illumination.

The results of studies on heating and current drive by the electron cyclotron (EC) waves in JT-60U are presented. An electron temperature of up to 26 keV, as measured by ECE diagnostics, was achieved by injecting EC waves into the centre of a reversed shear plasma produced by the lower hybrid (LH) waves. The electron temperature Te exceeds 24 keV in the region ρ < 0.3, where ρ is the normalized minor radius. The EC driven current profile was measured at high Te up to 21 keV without using LH waves, and was found to be spatially localized. The ECCD (current drive) efficiency ηCD increased with Te and reached 0.42 × 1019 A W−1 m−2 at Te = 21 keV. The dependence of normalized CD efficiency on deposition location was also studied to optimize the CD efficiency, since the trapped particle effect, which depends strongly on deposition location, is expected to reduce ζ. The effect was detected from a significant decrease in ζ in the lower magnetic field deposition, which is consistent with a linearized Fokker–Planck calculation. The measured CD efficiency ζ increased with electron density ne for the same Te, which showed a stronger dependence on ne compared with the linear calculation. Further off-axis ECCD profile at about half of the minor radius was measured, showing fairly good agreement with linear calculation.

Aims: To characterise a novel strain of adenovirus (Ad) type Ad8 (genome type Ad8I) involved in an epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) outbreak in Hiroshima city using serological testing and sequence analysis of the fibre and hexon gene. Methods: A neutralisation test (NT) was performed in microtitre plates containing a confluent monolayer of A549 cells using 100 tissue culture infectious doses of virus and type specific antisera. The haemagglutination inhibition test was also carried out in microtitre plates with rat erythrocytes using four haemagglutination units of virus and twofold dilutions of serum. The fibre gene was sequenced by generating overlapping polymerase chain reaction products or by direct sequencing of genomic DNA. Primer selection was based on alignment of the fibre genes of human adenovirus serotypes Ad8, Ad19, Ad37, Ad9, and Ad15 available from Gene Bank. Results: The virus strain was specifically neutralised by anti-Ad8 antibodies, although there was a major crossreaction with anti-Ad9 antibodies. Haemagglutination was equally inhibited by anti-Ad8 and anti-Ad9 antibodies. The predicted amino acid sequences of the hypervariable regions (HVRs) of the Ad8I hexon gene showed higher homology with Ad9 (83.3%) than with Ad8 (62.0%). However, the Ad8I fibre knob was more homologous to Ad8 (94.4%) than to Ad9 (91.6%). Conclusions: Ad8I is a unique strain of adenovirus because of its lower genomic homology with Ad8, major crossreactivity with Ad9 in NT, and mixed genetic organisation of HVRs of the hexon gene. These factors may have enabled the virus to circumvent acquired immunity, resulting in the outbreak.

We carried out polarimetric observations of two symbiotic stars, AG Dra and Z And, using the Line Polarimeter and Spectrograph (LIPS), a high-resolution echelle spectropolarimeter. We obtained the intrinsic polarization profiles with a broad wing in Hα for both symbiotics. Based on statistical analysis, we argue that the polarization profile of AG Dra is due to Raman scattering of Lyβ, because the characteristics of the polarization Hα profile agrees well with those of the Raman λ6830 line.

DSL (digital subscriber line) systems are strongly driving the broadband Internet in Asia because they are less costly. The spectrum management of metallic subscriber loop cables is needed so that multiple DSL technologies may be deployed without impaired operation due to crosstalk. Spectrum management standards are described here and Japanese standard is presented in some detail.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promotes the survival and migration of immature neurons, but its role in the mature brain has remained elusive. In the hippocampus of juvenile rats, we found that the HGF receptor c-Met was expressed in neurons. Furthermore, it was highly Tyr-phosphorylated, more so than in the liver under normal conditions, suggesting that the receptor is activated and that HGF may act continuously in the intact brain. Exogenously applied HGF enhanced synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of hippocampus, but did not affect long-term depression. We further found that HGF augmented N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated currents in both slices and dissociated neurons. This augmentation is likely to underlie the enhancement of LTP. Considering that the expression of both HGF and c-Met are known to be induced by ischemic stimuli, this modulation would provide a novel understanding of a neuronal regulatory systems shared with pathogenic ischemic states.

Magnetic field sensors such as flux gate and magnetoimpedance elements have been sonsidered to be useful tools for indicating the direction of a terrestrial field. Downsizing of these sensors is essential for then to be used in highly integrated electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers. We developed a new type of magnetic field sensor that has a great advantage in this respect. The sensor has a composite structure cosisting of a mechanical resonator with a high Q factor and magnetostrictive layers. With the high sensitivity of the magnetostrictive layers to external fields, the resonance frequency of the resonator is expected to be shifted by the ΔE effect. Since the shift in frequency is independent of the resonator size, appreciable downsizing of the sensor is possible. In this paper we describe our initial experiments to verify that the composite resonator is sufficiently sensitive to detect terrestrial fields. The results show that it has a sensitivity of 40 Hz/Oe for a resonator with a resonance frequency of 120 kHz.

Vapor compositions of methane and propane mixed gas in a batch-type reactor were measured by gas chromatography during hydrate crystallization at 274 K with molar ratios of propane below 10 vol %. The volume ratio of propane in the vapor decreased as the hydrate crystallization progressed. When the initial propane concentration was between 4 and 8 vol %, rapid gas consumption occurred for about 1 h, causing an initial pressure drop, and after a temporary stabilization of the pressure, a second pressure drop occurred; that is, hydrate crystallization occurred in two steps. X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic analyses on samples taken from the reactor during each step revealed that the structure II methane–propane mixed gas hydrates crystallized in the first step, and structure I methane hydrates in the second step. This process was observed only when the partial pressure of methane was above the equilibrium pressure of methane hydrate at the end of the first step. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 518–523, 2004

This paper reports results on the progress in steady-state high-βp ELMy H-mode discharges in JT-60U. A fusion triple product, nD(0)τETi(0), of 3.1 × 1020 m−3 s keV under full non-inductive current drive has been achieved at Ip = 1.8 MA, which extends the record value of the fusion triple product under full non-inductive current drive by 50%. A high-beta plasma with βN ~ 2.7 has been sustained for 7.4 s (~60τE), with the duration determined only by the facility limits, such as the capability of the poloidal field coils and the upper limit on the duration of injection of neutral beams. Destabilization of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) has been avoided with good reproducibility by tailoring the current and pressure profiles. On the other hand, a real-time NTM stabilization system has been developed where detection of the centre of the magnetic island and optimization of the injection angle of the electron cyclotron wave are done in real time. By applying this system, a 3/2 NTM has been completely stabilized in a high-beta region (βp ~ 1.2, βN ~ 1.5), and the beta value and confinement enhancement factor have been improved by the stabilization.

Summary. Background: Interaction between platelet glycoprotein (GP)Ibα and von Willebrand factor (VWF) has critical roles in both physiological hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelet-type von Willebrand disease (plt-VWD) is a congenital bleeding disorder characterized by gain-of-function mutations of GPIbα. To date, two mutations in GPIbα, G233V and M239V, have been reported in four unrelated families with plt-VWD. Objective: The present study aimed to determine whether G233S of GPIbα, a new mutation observed in plt-VWD patients, causes the plt-VWD phenotype and to examine whether conversions to other residues at this position affect VWF binding. Patients and methods: The propositus was a 3-year-old Japanese male. He displayed bleeding symptoms and moderate thrombocytopenia. His brother was similarly affected. Platelets from both patients were analyzed by ristocetin- or shear-induced platelet aggregation. DNA sequencing was performed to analyze the GPIbα sequence. We examined the 125I-labeled VWF binding using a series of recombinant GPIbα fragments with different residues at position 233 (G233S, G233A, G233K, and G233D) together with naturally occurring mutations previously reported in patients (G233V and M239V). Results: Platelet function analysis indicated that platelets from both patients had a typical plt-VWD phenotype. DNA sequencing analysis showed a heterozygous mutation of Gly to Ser at residue 233 of GPIbα in both patients. The 125I-labeled VWF binding to mutant compared with the wild type displayed three patterns, gain-of-function (G233S, G233V, and M239V), equivalent function (G233A), and loss-of-function (G233K and G233D). Conclusions: The G233S is a molecular basis of plt-VWD, and residue 233 plays critical roles in regulating VWF binding.

Development of 170 and 110 GHz gyrotrons and their application to electron cyclotron heating systems are presented. A parasitic oscillation that degraded the electron beam quality was suppressed, and the performance of the gyrotron improved significantly. Up to now, 0.9 MW/9.2 s, 0.5 MW/30 s, 0.3 MW/60 s, 0.2 MW/132 s, etc, have been demonstrated at 170 GHz. At 110 GHz, 1.3 MW/1.5 s, 1.2 MW/4.1 s, 1 MW/5 s were obtained. It is found that the reduction of stray radiation and the enhancement of cooling capability are important for continuous wave operation. Four 110 GHz gyrotrons are under operation in the electron cyclotron heating and current drive system of JT-60U. Power up to approximately 3 MW/2.7 s was injected into the plasma through movable mirrors in the poloidal direction and contributed to electron heating and the suppression of the neo-classical tearing modes.

A high power operation of 1.2 MW for 4 s was obtained by a 110 GHz gyrotron with depressed collector on the JT-60 ECRF system, where the cathode voltage is −58 kV without voltage regulation and the acceleration voltage is +85 kV with regulation. The gyrotron is featured by a diamond output window and a RF absorber in its beam tunnel. The RF absorber suppresses the parasitic oscillation, which limited the performance of the gyrotron without the RF absorber less than 1 MW×2 s. The operation was done with the JT-60 tokamak plasma as a dummy load, where the EC wave was transmitted through a diamond antenna window on the corrugated waveguide. The edge temperature of the antenna window without cooling was in proportion to the pulse duration. The maximum efficiency of the gyrotron was about 42% in the depressed collector operation on the JT-60 ECRF system.

Novel high damping magnesium alloys, named MCM alloys were successfully fabricated by powder metallurgy processing. The damping properties of a number of sintered magnesium-based alloys were determined by means of a torsion pendulum apparatus. The magnesium-based alloys containing 0.5∼0.7 wt.% Cu–0.17∼4 wt.% Mn showed a very high damping capacity (SDC∼60%), combined with adequate mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and good sinterability. The rapture strength of the sintered compound of MCM (CM31: Mg–3 wt.% Cu–1 wt.% Mn) was 290.8 MPa.

Background: Since corticosteroids are indispensable hormones, partial or cortical-sparing adrenalectomies may be adopted for the surgical treatment of adrenal diseases. In this article, we describe the techniques and results of these procedures.

Aims: To investigate the genetic differences among the strains of adenovirus type 8 (Ad8) circulating in Hiroshima city, Japan, and to study their circulation pattern. Methods: One hundred and twenty nine strains of adenovirus type 8 (Ad8) were isolated in Hiroshima City over a 15 year period (1983–97) from patients with keratoconjunctivitis, and analysed with six restriction enzymes—BamHI, HindIII, PstI, SacI, SalI, and SmaI—to investigate possible relations among the isolates and their genetic variability. Seven hypervariable regions of the hexon gene that carry the type specific epitope were also sequenced to investigate the variation among the genome types. Results: Restriction endonuclease analyses yielded three known genome types (Ad8A, 13 samples; Ad8B, seven samples; and Ad8E, 35 samples) and a novel genome type (Ad8I, 74 samples). Ad8A, Ad8B, and Ad8E were closely related, with 96% homology, whereas Ad8I had only 71% homology. Ad8A, Ad8B, and Ad8E shared 91.8% and 96.4% homology with regard to their amino acid and nucleotide sequences, respectively, with the isolate 1127 (accession no X74663). However, when compared with Ad8A, Ad8B, Ad8E, and isolate 1127, Ad8I shared only 62.7% and 69.9% homology with regard to amino acid and nucleotide sequences, respectively. Ad8A, Ad8B, and Ad8E had a unique 31 amino acid deletion in the hypervariable region 1 of the hexon gene, whereas Ad8I had a 33 residue deletion. The Ad8E strain that circulated from 1984 to 1995 was stable among the study population. Ad8I was isolated from an outbreak of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis in 1995 and was also isolated from sporadic cases until 1997. Conclusions: These results confirmed that genetic variability occurs in Ad8 in the microenvironment and revealed the emergence of a new genome type (Ad8I).

Data taken at 6–20 m above ground from March through June of 2002 was used to confirm that the background subtracted atmospheric γ radiation (GRR) was directly related to precipitation rates. An anomalous increase in GRR (AGR) shortly after lightning strokes several times that expected from only the observed precipitation was concurrently observed at two sites separated by a distance of 220 m. The increase in activity in the detector environment subsequently decayed with a half-life of about 50 min. A model, which assumes the presence of an ensemble of radioisotopes produced by proton and photon-induced nuclear reactions in the atmosphere, fits the observed 50 min (33 min) decay half-life without (with) rain with correlation coefficients of 0.98. The possibilities that energetic protons and to a lesser extent brehmsstrahlung resulting from ions accelerated in electric fields during positive lightning produce this delayed activity and that AGR may be used as a remote monitor of lightning as well as the rel...

Bacterial meningoencephalitis occurring in the pre-engraftment period after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is a rare complication, and the feasibility of granulocyte transfusion (GTX) in such cases remains to be elucidated. A 37-year-old man developed enterococcal meningoencephalitis during a severely granulocytopenic pre-engraftment period after BMT. Despite therapy with appropriate antibiotics, cultures of blood and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) continued to grow Enterococcus faecalis, and he developed rapid mental deterioration and seizure. Granulocytes were collected from his HLA-mismatched, ABO-matched sibling with subcutaneous injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and oral dexamethazone. Transfusion of 4.4 x 10(10) granulocytes resulted in a 12-h post-transfusion granulocyte increment of 2.0 x 10(9)/l, and maintained peripheral blood granulocyte counts above 0.5 x 10(9)/l for 3 days. A rapid increase of granulocytes in CSF was also observed, and cultures of blood and CSF became negative after GTX. A transient worsening of seizure was observed as a potential side effect of GTX. The patient subsequently developed septic shock because of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and died. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of GTX for the treatment of uncontrolled infections in granulocytopenic stem cell transplant recipients.

The sol-gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane was conducted in natural rubber (NR) matrix to obtain NR/in situ silica mixtures. In other words, in situ filling of silica onto NR was conducted. The mixtures were compounded with curing regents, and their viscosities were evaluated. The in situ silica with a coupling agent afforded the lowest viscosity compared not only with a conventional silica (VN-3) but also with a carbon black (HAF). The curing behaviors were most favorable for in situ silica compound. Physical properties of the vulcanizates were also evaluated, and again in situ silica stock gave the best result.

Unwanted X-mode behavior in the fundamental harmonic electron cyclotron (EC) wave launching from the low field side with an oblique toroidal injection angle is experimentally studied on JT-60U by changing the poloidal injection angle. It is found that there is a critical region in the poloidal injection angle to cause the rise in vacuum pressure at the NBI port adjacent to the ECRF antenna port. The typical EC beam power is about 1 MW and the pulse length is 3 s in this experiment. The ray-trace calculation indicates that the X-mode launched from the low field side is guided into the NBI port after reflection at the cut-off layer for the critical poloidal injection angle. The results suggest that the O-mode injection with quite high mode purity, that is, with a very low fraction of X-mode is required for the avoidance of the overheat of the in-vessel components due to the reflected X-mode in the case of the EC beam launching from the low field side, especially for long pulse operation.

Background: We have performed endoscopic thyroidectomy by an anterior chest approach and by an axillary approach. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of these two types of endoscopic procedures and conventional open surgery. Methods: Each procedure was performed in 15 patients. The degree of surgical invasiveness and the nature of patients' complaints after surgery were compared using results of the operation and a questionnaire. Results: Although the mean operating time for the endoscopic procedure was significantly longer than for open surgery, there was no postoperative pain difference in the three groups. Three months after surgery, the incidence of swallowing discomfort was higher in the open surgery group than in endoscopic surgery group. All of the patients treated using the axillary approach were satisfied with the cosmetic results. However, three patients (20%) treated using the anterior chest approach and 11 patients (73%; p < 0.01) who underwent open surgery complained about the cosmetic results. Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative complaints after endoscopic surgery is significantly lower than after open surgery. Patients treated using the axillary approach can obtain cosmetic results superior to those achieved with other procedures.

Since corticosteroids are indispensable hormones, partial or cortical-sparing adrenalectomies may be adopted for the surgical treatment of adrenal diseases. In this article, we describe the technique and results of these procedures. Laparoscopic partial or cortical-sparing adrenalectomy has been performed in 10 patients. Seven cases had an aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and three had a pheochromocytoma. Three cases with an APA and a case with a pheochromocytoma had tumors located far from the adrenal central vein, and the vein could be preserved. Four cases with an APA and two with a pheochromocytoma had tumors located close to the adrenal central vein, and it was necessary to section the central vein to resect them. All endoscopic procedures were performed successfully. There were no postoperative complications. At follow-up, adrenal 131I-adosterol scintigrams showed the preservation of remnant adrenal function in all patients. Laparoscopic partial or cortical-sparing adrenal surgery was safely performed, and adrenal function was preserved irrespective of whether the adrenal central vein could be preserved or not. We consider this to be a useful operative technique for selected cases.

Intraoperative quick parathyroid hormone (QPTH) assay is claimed to prevent failure during parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism. The causes of operative failure have included multiglandular disease, ectopic parathyroid glands, supernumerary parathyroid glands, errors in frozen section evaluations, and missed diagnosis. A QPTH assay has been recognized as a useful method of determining whether hyperfunctioning tissues have been completely excised. However, an intraoperative QPTH assay may fail to detect the presence of double parathyroid adenomas. Use of this assay in conjunction with preoperative and intraoperative localization studies has led to the advocacy of more directed cervical procedures, such as limited, video-assisted, and endoscopic parathyroidectomy.

We have developed endoscopic thyroidectomy by an anterior chest approach and an axillary approach. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of these two types of endoscopic procedures and conventional open surgery. The degree of surgical invasiveness and the nature of patients' complaints after surgery were compared using the results of the operation and a questionnaire. The mean operating time for the endoscopic procedure was significantly longer than that for open surgery; however, there was no difference in postoperative pain in the three groups. Three months after surgery, the incidence of discomfort while swallowing in open surgery was higher than that in endoscopic surgery. All the patients who were treated using the axillary approach were satisfied with the cosmetic results. However, five patients (25%) who were treated using the anterior chest approach and 15 patients (75%; P < 0.01) who underwent open surgery complained abut the cosmetic results. The incidence of postoperative complaints after endoscopic surgery is significantly lower than that after open surgery. Patients who were treated using the axillary approach can obtain superior cosmetic results, compared with those who received other procedures.

The electron cyclotron range of frequency (ECRF) system was designed and operated on the JT-60U to locally heat and control plasmas. The frequency of 110 GHz was adopted to inject the fundamental O-mode from the low field side with an oblique injection angle. The system is composed of four 1 MW-level gyrotrons, four transmission lines, and two antennae. The gyrotron is featured by a collector potential depression (CPD) and a gaussian beam output through a diamond window. The CPD enables JAERI to drive the gyrotron under the condition of the main DC voltage of 60 kV without a thyristor regulation. The gaussian mode from the gyrotron is effectively transformed to HE{sub 11} mode in the 31.75 mm diameter corrugated waveguide. About 75% of the output power of the gyrotrons can be injected into plasmas through the waveguides about 60 m in length. There are two antennae to control the deposition position of the EC wave during a plasma discharge. One is connected with three RF lines to steer the EC beams in the poloidal direction. The other is to control the EC beam in the toroidal and poloidal directions by two steerable mirrors.On the operation in 2000, the power ofmore » 1.5 to 1.6 MW for 3 s was successfully injected into plasmas using three gyrotrons. Local profile control was demonstrated by using the antennae. This capability was devoted to improve the plasma performance such as high T{sub e} production more than 15 keV and suppression of the MHD activities. In 2001, the fourth gyrotron, whose structure was improved for long pulse operation, has been installed for a total injection power of {approx}3 MW.« less

The subject of performing prophylactic or elective modified dissections of the neck in patients with clinically occult lymph nodal metastases from thyroid cancers is controversial since metastases to lymph nodes are associated with high rates of recurrences. Biopsies of sentinel lymph nodes can be performed successfully in patients with thyroid cancers since they can be identified with dyes or 99mTc. Our preliminary findings indicate that biopsies of sentinel lymph nodes can be useful in the treatment of thyroid cancers; however, the clinical significance of identifying metastases in regional lymph nodes by this technique remains to be determined.

Development and operation of a lower hybrid range of frequency (LHRF) system for JT-60U are presented. The LHRF system was constructed in 1986 to study current drive and plasma heating at high inje...

Clathrate hydrates of methane−ethane mixed gases have two crystal structures depending on their composition. To study their compositions and cage occupancies and how their structure is determined, ...

Objective: To examine differences in autoantibody response and immunogenetic background between patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and those with other autoimmune diseases who had serum anti-Th/To antibodies. Methods: Serum samples from 1048 Japanese patients with various autoimmune diseases were screened for anti-Th/To antibodies using RNA and protein immunoprecipitation assays. The reactivity to RNase P subunits was examined by immunoprecipitating 35 S labelled recombinant Rpp38, Rpp30, and hPop1 produced by in vitro transcription and translation. HLA-DRB1, DQB1, and DPB1 alleles were identified using a polymerase chain reaction followed by a restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Results: Serum anti-Th/To antibodies were detected in 14 of 303 patients with SSc and seven of 745 patients without SSc (4.6% v 0.9%; p=0.0003). Similar percentages of patients with and without SSc showed immunoreactivity to Rpp38 and Rpp30, but more patients with SSc than patients without SSc showed a reactivity to hPop1 (93% v 14%; p=0.002). In patients with anti-Th/To antibodies DRB1*1502 or *0802 was detected more often, and the DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 haplotype less often in patients with SSc than in patients without SSc (79% v 14%, p=0.02, and 7% v 71%, p=0.01, respectively). Conclusions: Anti-Th/To antibodies were detected in a small proportion of autoimmune patients lacking clinical features related to SSc. A close relationship between disease expression and anti-hPop1 reactivity as well as HLA class II alleles in anti-Th/To positive patients suggests that the process of anti-Th/To antibody production may be different between patients with and those without SSc.

A gun-type burner is a widely used oil burner for industrial and domestic applications. The oil is pressure-atomized and mixed with air generating a recirculating, swirling flow. Because of the surrounding flame, fuel droplets evaporate, being difficult to obtain information on droplets' dynamics. Several laser techniques have been applied to this burner for spray diagnosis. PDA provides information about droplet size and velocity but can say little about the instantaneous spatial structures in the flow. Planar laser techniques as PIV can describe the 2D instantaneous spatial structures, but cannot provide information about the 3D structures in the flow. Then Stereoscopic PIV was applied. This technique allows us to measure the full 3D velocity vector map in a whole fluid plane. This paper has a double purpose. Firstly, to visualize the 3D structures which are present in the burner; secondly, to show that Stereoscopic PIV is an applicable technique for the diagnosis of an evaporating spray.

The Japanese Common Squid, Todarodes pacificus Steenstrup, 1880, moves vertically in the water column in time with the natural day–night cycle and this exposes the animal to considerable temperature changes throughout the 24-h period. We considered that this behavior could result in daily fluctuations of the statolith strontium/calcium ratio (Sr/Ca ratio), if this ratio is thermally sensitive, as is found for coral skeletons. To investigate this hypothesis, Japanese Common Squid were reared under constant temperature (15 °C) for 64 days and their statolith Sr/Ca ratios, in the area that had been deposited while in captivity, measured by wavelength dispersive spectrometer. Small repetitive fluctuations were observed in the statolith Sr/Ca ratios of the captive squid ( N =5, 2.7-day cycle) but similar fluctuations were also observed in the statoliths of Japanese Common Squid collected from the wild ( N =5, 2.4-day cycle). These results imply that the daily vertical movements in the water column are not reflected in the statolith Sr/Ca ratios in the Japanese Common Squid. The observed small repetitive fluctuations are discussed in relation to the periodic feeding activity of the captive squid (1.9-day cycle).

As a generalization of developments of (developable) spaces, we introduce the notion of σ -strong networks of spaces, and related notions. We give new characterizations for around quotient compact images of metric spaces by means of σ -strong networks, and give some related matters.

The lateral growth rate of CO2 hydrate films at the boundary between CO2-saturated water and liquid CO2 at pressures between 15 and 25 MPa were measured using an optical microscope. Growth rates ranged from about 6–15 mm/s, depending on the supercooling, and became smaller at higher pressure. We assumed the rate-determining process to be mainly heat transport from the growing interface. This assumption allowed us to interpret the difference of the growth rates between the higher and lower pressure experiments as being due to a difference in hydrate film thickness. The addition of NaCl to the solution, on the other hand, reduced the lateral growth rate. In addition, at a NaCl concentration of 10.1 wt%, the lateral growth rates were remarkably lower than those in lower concentration solutions. These observations suggest that the hydrate growth rate in the NaCl solution is determined by not only the heat transportation, but also the mass transportation of NaCl that might arise from a build up of NaCl at the growing interface.

An electron cyclotron range of frequency (ECRF) program has been initiated to study the local heating and current drive in JT-60U. A frequency of 110 GHz was adopted to couple the fundamental O-mode from the low-field side with an oblique toroidal injection angle for the current drive. Experiments were performed at an injection power of ~1.5 MW by using three gyrotrons, each of which has generated the output power up to ~0.8 MW for 3 seconds. A strongly peakedTeprofile was observed and the central electron temperature increased up to ~15 keV when the O-mode was absorbed on the axis. The local electron heating clarified the significant difference in the heat pulse propagation between in the plasmas with internal transport barrier (ITB) and without. The driven current estimated by the Motional Stark Effect (MSE) diagnostic showed that the electron cyclotron (EC) waves drove the plasma current up to ~0.2 MA for an injected power of ~1.3 MW at the local electron temperature and density ofTe~6 keV,ne~0.7×1019 m-3. The measured driven current near the axis was consistent with the theoretical prediction using a Fokker-Planck code. In the case of co-electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), the sawtooth activity in neutral beam (NB) heated plasma was completely suppressed for 1.5 s with the deposition at the inversion radius, while the sawtooth was enhanced for counter-ECCD at the same deposition condition.

This paper reports on the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs) to chemical spectral analysis. The SOM method that was developed by Kohonen was first applied to information processing. Currently, it has been applied to some problems of chemical spectral analysis using AES, XPS and x-ray diffraction data. Using a two-dimensional SOM, it became clear that the items that are described qualitatively by linguistic expressions could be explained more quantitatively by the position of the spectral data on the SOM, together with a grey-level expression. Also, the composition of an unknown sample can be determined very precisely by the SOM that has been constructed using the spectra from samples of known composition. Furthermore, this paper addresses the attempts to develop a SOM of all the elements of the Periodic Table. Currently, only 77 elements have been mapped out.

Graft polymerization of methacrylic acid onto ABS resin was carried out using BPO as an initiator in THF solution. Degree of grafting increased with reaction time and reached 35% in 10 hrs. Carboxyl groups were converted to carboxylates (metal salts) by refluxing MAA-g-ABS and the metal acetate in THF. In the solid graft polymers in solid, the infrared absorption of the asymmetrical C= O vibration of the carboxylic acid shifted to lower wavenumbers with increasing metal ion concentration. The absorption peak for the carboxylate anion is shifted to higher wavenumbers with the increase of alkali metal ion concentration, however, for the Mg2+ salt, it is shifted to lower wavenumbers. The surface and volume resistivities of the K+ and Na+ salts of MAA-g-ABS were 9.0 × 109 Ω□ and 9.5 × 109 Ω at 80% neutralization, respectively, and decreased with alkali metal ion concentration. The electric resistance of Li+, Mg2+ and Zn2+ salts decreased only slightly. The modulus of the K+ salt of MAA-g-ABS decreased with neutralization, whereas in Li+, Mg2+ and Zn2+ salts, the modulus increased with increasing metal ion concentration.

The Mott polarimetry for T-violation (MTV) experiment tests time-reversal symmetry in polarized nuclear [Formula: see text]-decay by measuring an electron’s transverse polarization as a form of angular asymmetry in Mott scattering using a thin metal foil. A Mott scattering analyzer system developed using a tracking detector to measure scattering angles offers better event selectivity than conventional counter experiments. In this paper, we describe a pilot experiment conducted at KEK-TRIAC using a prototype system with a polarized 8Li beam. The experiment confirmed the sound performance of our Mott analyzer system to measure T-violating triple correlation (R correlation), and therefore recommends its use in higher-precision experiments at the TRIUMF-ISAC.

A top-seeded melt-growth (TSMG) process is widely used to fabricate single domain YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (Y–Ba–Cu–O) bulk superconductors. Pores are often found in the TSMG-processed Y–Ba–Cu–O samples due to the oxygen gas evolution during the molten stage. Recently developed liquid infiltration growth (LIG) process is known to be effective in suppressing the pore evolution and in refining the size of Y 2 BaCuO 5 (Y211) particles dispersed in YBa 2 Cu 3 O y matrix. The LIG process utilizes the liquid (Ba 3 Cu 5 O 8 ) infiltration into a pre- sintered Y211 contact and slow cooling through a peritectic temperature. In this study, we fabricated bulk Y–Ba–Cu–O superconductors by the LIG process combined with top-seeding with SmBa 2 Cu 3 O y seed and confirmed that a single-domain bulk can be produced. Trapped field measurements however showed that some distortion in the field distribution was observed in the region near the seed crystal, which was attributed to Y211 density and its relatively large size.