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Formation of a desirable submillimeter-scaled assembled structure of particles in the colloid is a difficult subject in colloidal chemistry. Herein, a submillimeter-scaled ordered assembled structure consisting of highly anisotropic two-dimensional plate-like particles, niobate nanosheets, was obtained through an optical manipulation technique that was assisted by a scattering-force-induced stream. A 532 nm continuous wave laser beam with a power of 400 mW was used to illuminate a liquid crystalline niobate nanosheet colloid from the bottom side of a sample cell, inducing the stream of oriented nanosheets toward the upper side of the sample cell. As a result, a 200 μm ordered assembled structure consisting of oriented nanosheets was formed. The assembled structure was also characterized by two-dimensional anisotropy, reflecting that the highly anisotropic morphologies of each nanosheet and the shape of that structure were dependent on the polarization of incident illumination. This study has revealed a new noncontact and on-demand way to obtain submillimeter-scaled ordered anisotropic colloidal assembled structures of nanosized particles such as nanosheets, contributing to fundamental materials science and expanding the utilities of nanosheets.

New sustainable approaches should be developed to overcome equilibrium limitation of dialkyl carbonate synthesis from CO2 and alcohols. Using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and CO2 with Zr catalysts, we report the first example of sustainable catalytic synthesis of diethyl carbonate (DEC). The disiloxane byproduct can be reverted to TEOS. Under the same conditions, DEC can be synthesized using a wide range of alkoxysilane substrates by investigating the effects of the number of ethoxy substituent in alkoxysilane substrates, alkyl chain, and unsaturated moiety on the fundamental property of this reaction. Mechanistic insights obtained by kinetic studies, labeling experiments, and spectroscopic investigations reveal that DEC is generated via nucleophilic ethoxylation of a CO2 -inserted Zr catalyst and catalyst regeneration by TEOS. The unprecedented transformation offers a new approach toward a cleaner route for DEC synthesis using recyclable alkoxysilane.

Background: Symptomatic common carotid artery (CCA) occlusion is rare and its treatment remains unestablished. Although cases of subclavian-to-carotid bypass have been reported, very few cases of carotid-tocarotid crossover bypass have been reported, despite its advantages. We report a case of Riles type 1A symptomatic CCA occlusion after aortic arch replacement that was treated with carotid-to-carotid crossover bypass with favorable outcomes. Case Description: A 65-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and total arch replacement for thoracic aortic aneurysm was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of the right hemiparesis and motor aphasia. Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed a fresh infarction in the left cerebral hemisphere. Cervical computed tomography (CT) angiography revealed left CCA occlusion. Thoracic CT angiography showed severe stenosis of the left subclavian artery. SPECT showed a general decrease in blood flow in the left cerebral hemisphere. We performed a carotid-to-carotid crossover bypass with a synthetic graft that was passed through the subcutaneous tunnel. First, the right carotid artery-synthetic graft end-to-side anastomosis was performed. Subsequently, we performed synthetic graft-left CCA end-to-side anastomosis. The postoperative course was uneventful. Cervical computed tomography angiography showed perfect patency of the crossover bypass. The patient recovered almost completely and was independently performing daily activities. Conclusion: Carotid-to-carotid crossover bypass is a durable treatment for symptomatic CCA occlusion. Further studies are needed to compare its outcomes with those of other methods and to confirm our findings with larger sample size.

The steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), which is a kind of event-related potential in electroencephalograms (EEGs), has been applied to brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). SSVEP-based BCIs currently perform the best in terms of information transfer rate (ITR) among various BCI implementation methods. Canonical component analysis (CCA) or spectrum estimation, such as the Fourier transform, and their extensions have been used to extract features of SSVEPs. However, these signal extraction methods have a limitation in the available stimulation frequency; thus, the number of commands is limited. In this paper, we propose a complex valued convolutional neural network (CVCNN) to overcome the limitation of SSVEP-based BCIs. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method overcomes the limitation of the stimulation frequency, and it outperforms conventional SSVEP feature extraction methods.

It may sound that remanufacturing is a new category of industries in Japan but actually it has a long history already. We would like to start with a brief overview of remanufacturing industry and move to some of key topics about remanufacturing. Remanufacturing might sound good for the environment but in order to operate it as business it is not so simple to promote remanufacturing products in the business market. We would like to mention what we have done and issues to overcome.

The epidemiology of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has changed dramatically over recent decades as a result of rapid advances in aging societies. We assessed the influence of age on outcomes of patients with TBI and sought to identify prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality of TBI among elderly patients.Using a nationwide database, we analyzed data from 5651 patients with TBI. Univariate analysis was conducted to compare patient demographics, neurologic status on admission, radiologic findings, systemic complication rates, length of hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, and home discharge rates between elderly and nonelderly groups. Multivariable analysis was conducted to determine prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality among elderly patients.Overall in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in elderly patients (12.8% vs. 19.3%; P0.001). In-hospital mortality of elderly patients with mild TBI increased significantly at7 days after admission, whereas that of elderly patients with moderate or severe TBI was significantly higher immediately after admission. Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.62; P = 0.024), male sex (OR, 1.30; P = 0.004), Japan Coma Scale score on admission (OR, 5.95, P0.001), and incidence of acute subdural hematoma (OR, 1.89; P0.001) were associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with TBI.Elderly patients with TBI showed significantly higher in-hospital mortality. Delayed increases in in-hospital mortality were observed among elderly patients with mild TBI. Level of consciousness on admission was the strongest predictor of in-hospital mortality among elderly patients.

The cytoplasmic regulatory protein p62 (Sequestosome 1/A170) is known to modulate various receptor-mediated intracellular signaling pathways.p62deficiency was shown to result in mature-onset obesity in mice, but the mechanisms underlying this abnormality remained unclear. Here we report that hyperphagia due to central leptin resistance is the cause of obesity inp62−/−mice. We found that these mice show hyperphagia. Restriction of food to the amount eaten by wild-type mice prevented excess body weight gain and fat accumulation, suggesting that overfeeding is the primary cause of obesity inp62−/−mice. Brain-specific p62 deficiency caused mature-onset obesity to the same extent as inp62−/−mice, further supporting a neuronal mechanism as the major cause of obesity in these mice. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that p62 is highly expressed in hypothalamic neurons, including POMC neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Central leptin resistance was observed even in young preobesep62−/−mice. We found a defect in intracellular distribution of the transcription factor Stat3, which is essential for the action of leptin, inp62−/−mice. These results indicate that brain p62 plays an important role in bodyweight control by modulating the central leptin-signaling pathway and that lack of p62 in the brain causes leptin resistance, leading to hyperphagia. Thus, p62 could be a clinical target for treating obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Artificial streams were set up to test the relationship between near-bed water velocity and periphyton growth. Periphyton community samples collected from a Japanese stream were incubated for 44 days under a light intensity of 252 ± 72 μmol·photons/m2·s, a temperature of 20–25 °C, and three near-bed water velocity classes: low (32.8 cm/s). A logistic model was applied to estimate the maximum net growth rate (μmax) and carrying capacity (Bmax). A response surface method was also applied to estimate chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and ash-free dry mass (AFDM) with respect to the independent variables (i.e., time and water velocity). We detected both the highest μmax (1.99 d−1) and highest Bmax (7.01 mg/m2) for Chl-a at the moderate water velocity. For AFDM, we observed the highest μmax (0.57 d−1) and Bmax (1.47 g/m2) at the low and moderate velocity classes, respectively. The total algae density in the region of moderate velocity at the end of the experiment was 6.47 × 103 cells/cm2, corresponding to levels 1.7 and 1.3 times higher than those at lower and higher velocities, respectively. Our findings indicated that the moderate near-bed water velocity provided favorable conditions for algal growth and corresponding biomass accumulation.

Stenosis of perforating artery, which occurs during neck clipping of cerebral saccular aneurysm or in trapping operation of cerebral fusiform aneurysm, was examined using the chicken ascending aortic artery. In neck clippings, the orifice of the perforating artery became narrow when the aneurysmal clip was applied pointing to the perforating artery which was just in the vicinity of the aneurysmal neck, although its outward appearance did not show the stenosis. When the clip was applied passing beside the perforating artery, the artery was patent. Therefore, the clip should be applied passing beside the perforating artery and not occlude its orifice. In trapping, When the clip was applied parallel to the perforating artery, the intima of the perforating artery was approximated and its vascular lumen became narrow despite its normal outward appearance. On the contrary, when the clip was applied at a right angle to the perforating artery, its orifice was left open. When the fusiform aneurysm is hard and a tiny perforating artery is just in the vicinity of the aneurysm, the trapping clip must be applied at a right angle to the perforating artery.

Plants are able to sense and respond to changes in the balance between carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolite availability, known as the C/N response. During the transition to photoautotrophic growth following germination, growth of seedlings is arrested if a high external C/N ratio is detected. To clarify the mechanisms for C/N sensing and signaling during this transition period, we screened a large collection of FOX transgenic plants, overexpressing full-length cDNAs, for individuals able to continue post-germinative growth under severe C/N stress. One line, cni1-D (carbon/nitrogen insensitive 1-dominant), was shown to have a suppressed sensitivity to C/N conditions at both the physiological and molecular level. The CNI1 cDNA encoded a predicted RING-type ubiquitin ligase previously annotated as ATL31. Overexpression of ATL31 was confirmed to be responsible for the cni1-D phenotype, and a knock-out of this gene resulted in hypersensitivity to C/N conditions during post-germinative growth. The ATL31 protein was confirmed to contain ubiquitin ligase activity using an in vitro assay system. Moreover, removal of this ubiquitin ligase activity from the overexpressed protein resulted in the loss of the mutant phenotype. Taken together, these data demonstrated that CNI1/ATL31 activity is required for the plant C/N response during seedling growth transition.

In this study, the scroll profile of the scroll expander was designed for CO2 refrigerant in order to make use of overexpansion and to control the axial force on the thrust bearing. This approach realized that the orbiting scroll never separated from the stationary scroll even when the operating condition changed dramatically. From the analysis on the oil-film pressure forces of the main and eccentric bearings, the radial force between the scroll wraps could be controlled, which in turn contributed to a decrease in the leakage loss in the expansion process. Test results for a prototype of the scroll expander with high-pressure shell design demonstrated the volumetric efficiency as high as 96%.

Multiprotein bridging factor 1 (MBF1) is known as a transcriptional co-activator that enhances transcription of its target genes by bridging between transcription factors and TATA-box-binding protein in eukaryotes. Arabidopsis thaliana has three MBF1 genes: AtMBF1a-AtMBF1c. However, details of the functions of AtMBF1 remain unclear. For this study, transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing AtMBF1 fused to an active transcriptional repression domain (SRDX) was constructed. The chimeric protein putatively functions as a transcriptional co-repressor and as a suppressor of functions of endogenous AtMBF1 in transgenic plants. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing AtMBF1 -SRDX (AtMBF1-SRDX OE ) showed an extremely small leaf phenotype under a continuous white light condition. Its leaf cells-especially those around vascular tissues, where strong expression of endogenous AtMBF1s is observed-were much smaller than those from the wild type (WT). In addition, a lower cell number was observed in leaves from AtMBF1-SRDX OE plants. Time course analysis of cell size revealed that cell expansion of leaves of AtMBF1-SRDX OE plants was dramatically suppressed duringthe late leaf developmental stage (cell expansion stage), when endogenous AtMBF1 b is strongly expressed in the WT. The results show that ploidy levels of leaves from AtMBF1-SRDX OE plants were dramatically lower than those from the WT; moreover, expression levels of several negative regulators of endoreduplication were more elevated in AtMBF1s-SRDX OE plants than those in the WT. These observations suggest that AtMBF1-SRDX interacts with regulators of endoreduplication. Therefore, AtMBF1s are considered to affect not only leaf cell expansion but also regulation of the ploidy level in leaf cells during the leaf expansion stage.

The Arabidopsis cad1 (constitutively activated cell death 1) mutant shows a phenotype of hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death and increased levels of endogenous salicylic acid (SA), indicating that the CAD1 protein negatively controls the SA-mediated pathway in plant immunity. To clarify the relationship between the CAD1 protein and SA-mediated defense pathways, a molecular genetic analysis was carried out using mutants related to SA biosynthesis. A genetic cross between the cad1 mutant and the pad4 and sid2 mutants only partially suppressed the cad1 phenotypes. These double mutants still showed acquired resistance to Pst DC3000 infection similar to the cad1 single mutant. These results indicate that the CAD1 negatively controls not only the SA-dependent defense pathway but also the SA-independent pathway. To clarify the CAD1-mediated SA-independent pathway, a revertant was isolated from an M2 population of the sid2 cad1 mutant. The revertant can1t mutant did not show cell death phenotype and the plant and leaf size recovered to those of the wild-type. The can1t mutant also showed pathogen susceptibility comparable to wild type, indicating that the can1t mutant looses the pathogen-resistance that the cad1 mutant acquires. There results suggested that CAN1 is a positive regulator of the novel plant immunity under the control of CAD1.

We previously reported two rice ammonium transporter (OsAMT) genes, OsAMT1;2 and OsAMT1;3, which show root-specific expression at the vegetative stage. To further understand the functional differences between the two genes, we used the promoter:: gusA reporter gene to investigate their detailed expression patterns. We show that in transgenic rice plants carrying individual 4-kb promoter::gusA fusion genes, the expression of the two genes was confined to roots during the entire plant life cycle, suggesting the housekeeping roles of the two transporters in rice. Detailed observation of the above transgenic lines further shows that OsAMT1;3 was preferentially expressed in the apices of seminal and lateral roots under nitrogendeficient conditions, and was repressed when supplied with ammonium. By contrast, OsAMT1;2 expression was induced most intensely in the root elongation zone under nitrogen-sufficient conditions. These observations suggest that the two genes have distinct roles in nitrogen utilization: OsAMT1;3 appears to function as a nitrogen sensor and OsAMT1;2 as an assimilator. In contrast to 4-kb promoters, gusA-reporter expression was not detected in the roots under both nitrogen-deficient and -sufficient conditions when using individual 2-kb promoter sequences proximal to transcription initiation sites for the two genes, indicating that distal 2-kb promoter sequences are essential for the root-specific expression and conditional responsiveness to nitrogen of OsAMT1;2 and OsAMT1;3 genes.

The proton-exchanged waveguide formed on MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals is resistant to the optical damage or the photorefractive effect. Therefore, this waveguide is believed to be a promising device for optical information and processing. However, the optical damage can also be an important problem for this waveguide in the communication wavelength since the high-power optical source is used. In this report, a brief general review on the optical properties and its practical application of the lithium niobate crystal as the optical waveguide are given. Then the experimental research work aimed to clarify the properties and its mechanism of the electrooptic effect and the optical damage or photorefractivity of the lithium niobate optical waveguide is described. In this work, the optical damage in this proton-exchanged waveguide is measured quantitatively at various optical wavelengths including blue and red light by using the holographic grating method and the infrared communication wavelength (1550nm) by using the prism coupler method. The optical damage is significant not only in blue wavelength but also in the red, and even at 1550 nm with high power (100 mW) laser diode for communication. So the optical damage cannot be negligible also in the communication wavelengths. The effect of annealing temperature is also discussed. At the relatively high temperatures, the optical damages are founde to be annealed out. The effect of the applied electric field to the optical damage is experimentally discussed and its enhancement is observed to the applied d.c. and a.c. fields. In conclusion, the optical properties as the electrooptic constant and the optical damage are experimentally measured and the many fundamental data are obtained to realize the useful and practical optical devices.

Post-embryonic plant growth is dependent on a functional shoot apical meristem (SAM) that provides cells for continuous development of new aerial organs. However, how the SAM is dynamically maintained during vegetative development remains largely unclear. We report here the characterization of a new SAM maintenance mutant, sha1-1 (shoot apical meristem arrest 1-1), that shows a primary SAM-deficient phenotype at the adult stage. The SHA1 gene encodes a novel RING finger protein, and is expressed most intensely in the shoot apex. We show that, in the sha1-1 mutant, the primary SAM develops normally during the juvenile vegetative stage, but cell layer structure becomes disorganized after entering the adult vegetative stage, resulting in a dysfunctional SAM that cannot initiate floral primordia. The sha1-1 SAM terminates completely at the stage when the wild-type begins to bolt, producing adult plants with a primary inflorescence-deficient phenotype. These observations indicate that SHA1, a putative E3 ligase, is required for post-embryonic SAM maintenance by controlling proper cellular organization.

Production planning and control in remanufacturing are more complex than those in traditional manufacturing. Developing a reliable forecasting process is the first step for optimization of the overall planning process. In remanufacturing, forecasting the timing of demands is one of the critical issues. The current article presents the result of examining the effectiveness of demand forecasting by time series analysis in auto parts remanufacturing. Most previous studies on demand forecasting in remanufacturing assume that the time distribution of new product sales are known and that the time distributions of product end-of-life and demands for remanufactured products are calculated by adding the product lifespan period to the time distribution of product sales. However, this assumption is not always correct. For example, independent remanufacturers (IRs) do not always have precise information on the time distribution of new product sales, and in this case, a different approach is needed. Based on this background, this study examined the effectiveness of forecasting by time series analysis that does not need those information. To verify the forecasting accuracy, actual data of an auto parts IR was used. The study used the time series data of the shipments of an actual IR of auto parts for a total of 400 types of remanufactured alternators and starters over a period of 12 years. The method was employed on the initial 11 years of data to project the demand over the final year, and the forecasting results provided an average error of 27.2% relative to the actual shipments made over the forecasted year. The factors degrading the accuracy and the means of improving the results are discussed. Also, the implications of the results and future steps regarding the present study are argued.

The Arabidopsis mutant cad1 (constitutively activated cell death 1) shows a phenotype that mimics hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death. The CAD1 gene, which encodes a protein containing a domain with significant homology to the MACPF (membrane attach complex and perforin) domain of complement components and perforin, is likely to control plant immunity negatively and has a W-box cis-element in its promoter region. We found that expression of the CAD1 gene and other W-box containing genes, such as NPR1 and PR2, was promoted by salicylic acid (SA) and benzothiadiazole (BTH) as a SA agonist. The CAD1 gene was also stimulated by a purified chitin oligosaccharide elicitor (degree of polymerization = 8). This latter control was not under SA, because CAD1 expression was not suppressed in 35SnahG transgenic plants, which are unable to accumulate SA. These expression profiles were confirmed by promoter analysis using pCAD1::GUS transgenic plants. The CAD1 expression promoted by BTH and the chitin elicitor was not suppressed in the npr1 mutant, which is insensitive to SA signaling. These results indicate that the CAD1 gene is regulated by two distinct pathways involving SA and a chitin elicitor: viz., SA signaling mediated through an NPR1-independent pathway, and chitin elicitor signaling, through an SA-independent pathway. Three CAD1 homologs that have multiple W-box elements in their promoters were also found to be under the control of SA.

A 51-year-old male presented with laceration of the bilateral intracranial internal carotid arteries (ICAs) manifesting as acute subdural hematoma (SDH) after a fall of 3 m. Brain computed tomography showed acute SDH appearing as irregular mixed high and low density and causing midline shift. During the operation, massive liquiform hematoma flowed out from the deep portion around the cranial base and systemic blood pressure decreased abruptly. Hemostasis was impossible and he died soon after the operation. Autopsy revealed skull fractures in the bilateral sphenoidal, orbital, temporal, frontal, parietal, and occipital bones, and laceration of the bilateral ICAs in the cavernous sinuses at the fracture sites. Acute SDH can be caused by laceration of the ICA.

NF membranes have been drawing much attention in the field of drinking water treatment because they can remove hazardous organic micro-pollutants such as pesticides and THM precursors, as well as hardness. The rejection properties for 10 kinds of aromatic pesticides (0.045–0.194 mg·L−1) were investigated with a bench-scale flow cell equipped with a hollow-fiber NF membrane (HNF-1, the nominal desalting degree 35% at 0.3 MPa). Both the permeate and retentate were returned to the feed tank, and separation experiments were conducted for 10 days. Although the feed and retentate concentrations decreased in the first half of the experimental period, stable rejections were obtained in the latter half of the period. The rejections were calculated based on the average concentrations of the retentate and feed, and the removals were on the initial feed concentration. The removals were in the range of 45.0–93.8%, but the rejections based on the feed concentrations were relatively low (41.0–88.4%). The logarithm of the solute permeability (log B) correlated linearly with the molecular weight of the pesticides. In addition, the batch-type adsorption experiments indicated the following results: all pesticides were adsorbed on the membrane and the adsorption properties were controlled not only by hydrophobicity (log P) of the pesticides but also by molecular planarity.

Although germinating rice seeds typically show high β-amylase activity, some japonica rice cultivars have almost no β-amylase activity in the seedlings. This study was conducted to clarify the genetic basis for this suppression of β-amylases in germinating rice seeds. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using ‘Nipponbare’ (a japonica cultivar with very low β-amylase activity) × ‘Kasalath’ (an indica cultivar with normal β-amylase activity) backcross inbred lines revealed a major QTL (R2 = 0.64) at the marker interval C451–R1357 on chromosome 7, where the ‘Nipponbare’ allele dramatically decreased β-amylase activity. According to databases, this region is syntenic with the barley Bmy2 β-amylase locus, and carries two rice β-amylase genes (BAC83770 and BAC83773) in tight linkage. An RT-PCR experiment showed that ‘Nipponbare’ has suppressed BAC83773 expression (less than 1% that of ‘Kasalath’) but normal BAC83770 expression, indicating that BAC83773 is a candidate for the QTL. Insertion of a Mutator-like transposon in the BAC83773 promoter region was considered responsible for this suppression in ‘Nipponbare’ BAC83773 expression.

In the Chukyo Hospital, two separate records of patient information had been kept by doctors and nurses and pharmacists in the past. Doctors and nurses had written it in medical records and pharmacists in pharmaceutical care records and patient compliance instruction records. These records have been unified recently and we carried out a questionnaire survey to see if doing this had been beneficial or not. Persons responding were 10 doctors (in neurosurgery and neurology) and 25 nurses The questionnaire revealed that the unified records had made patient information more accessible and shareable and had made it easier to view medication history at a glance. On the other hand, the greater amount of data and thicker files resulting from the unification were seen as a problem. However, overall, the unification of the medical records, pharmaceutical care records and patient compliance instruction records was seen as useful.

有機性廃棄物の処理方法として, コンポスト化による農業資材利用が一般的である。コンポストの原材料が多様化した今日では, 普遍的に用いることができる評価法がないことから, 粗悪品が流通し利用者が実害を受ける等の問題が発生している。これは, 有機性廃棄物のリサイクルが伸び悩む原因の一つと考えられる。これらの問題解決のために新たな品質評価の方法として, ヒラタケ菌糸生長試験による評価法の開発を試みた。これは, 発酵日数の異なる各種のコンポスト試料を含む培地上の中央にヒラタケ菌糸体を接種し, 室温保存しながら経時的に菌糸体の生長速度を測定し, その生長速度の差によってコンポストの品質を判定する方法である。その際, ヒラタケ菌糸生長試験と同時にコンポスト試料およびコンポスト, 水抽出液の化学成分分析ならびに従来の品質評価法としてコマッナによる発芽試験も併せて実施し、総合的に判断しヒラタケ菌糸生長試験法の有効性を確認した。

A 46-year-old woman presented with multiple neurenteric cysts in the posterior fossa and spinal canal. Neuroimaging demonstrated neurenteric cysts in the interspace between the left cerebellar hemisphere and vermis, the lateral side of the right cerebellar hemisphere, and the ventral side of the spinal cord at the C-2 and C-4 levels. Total resection of the paravermian cyst and partial removal of the spinal cyst at the C-4 level were performed. Histological examination showed the cyst wall consisted of single or multiple layers of columnar epithelial cells with secretory granules, with mucin secretion verified by periodic acid-Schiff staining. Immunohistochemical staining showed the walls were positive for the cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, and carcinoembryonic antigen, and negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein and S-100 protein. These findings confirmed the endodermal origin. The diagnosis was neurenteric cyst. The paravermian cyst disappeared, but the spinal cyst at the C-4 level recurred 8 months later. Reoperation became necessary 16 months later. The other two cysts also showed enlargement at 6 or 15 months. Total removal of neurenteric cyst is recommended if possible.

To study the regulation of ammonium uptake into rice roots, three ammonium transporter genes (OsAMT1;1, 1;2 and 1;3; Oryza sativa ammonium transporter) were isolated and examined. OsAMT1s belong to AMT1 family, containing 11 putative transmembrane-spanning domains. Southern blot analysis and screening of the rice genome database confirmed that with OsAMT1;1-1;3 the complete AMT1 family of rice had been isolated. Heterologous expression of OsAMT1s in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant 31019b showed that all three OsAMT1s exhibit ammonium transport activity. Northern blot analysis showed a distinct expression pattern for the three genes; more constitutive expression in shoots and roots for OsAMT1;1, root-specific and ammonium-inducible expression for OsAMT1;2, and root-specific and nitrogen-derepressible expression for OsAMT1;3. In situ mRNA detection revealed that OsAMT1;2 is expressed in the central cylinder and cell surface of root tips. This gene expression analysis revealed a distinct nitrogen-dependent regulation for AMTs in rice, differing from that in tomato or Arabidopsis

Summary Developing seeds offer a fine experimental system for study on sugar transport mechanism(s) in sink tissue. The sugar transporters identified as being specific to the seed development may play a crucial role for flowering and grain development. The rice sucrose transporter OsSUT1 and the monosaccharide transporters OsMST1–3 have been previously characterized. To investigate sugar transport processes during flowering and in developing grains of rice, we newly isolated two genomic clones OsSUT2 (Oryza sativa sucrose transporter 2) and OsMST5 (Oryza sativa monosaccharide transporter 5) and their corresponding cDNAs. OsSUT2 and OsMST5 are encoded by open reading frames of 1485 and 1557bp encoding 495 and 519 amino acids, respectively. The putative amino acid sequence of OsSUT2 showed 63.0 and 62.4 % identity to that of OsSUT1 and barley transporter HvSUT1, respectively. Northern blot analysis revealed that OsSUT2 and OsMST5 mRNA accumulates in panicles before pollination. In situ hybridization analysis showed that OsSUT2 transcript is specific to the developing pollen. These data presented suggest that both OsSUT2 and OsMST5 play a role during the development at the early stage of the seed development. On the other hand OsSUT1 was expressed at the early stage of the grain development, suggesting a different physiological role compared to OsSUT2.

The preliminary experience of botulinum toxin treatment for hemifacial spasm is reported in this study. Five patients were treated with 10 injections of botulinum toxin in total. Botulinum toxin had a good to excellent effect in all cases. Improvement was observed 2 weeks to 1 month after the injection. The duration of improvement was 0-9 months (mean 4.2 months). The peak rank tended to decrease and the duration of improvement increased after several treatments. Hemifacial spasm caused by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery tended to subside easily. In contrast, compression by the vertebral artery was more refractory. Continuous facial spasm caused by operative trauma subsided after the injection, but paroxysmal spasm still occurred when eating or laughing. Spasm caused by trauma disappeared 4.5 months after the injection. The complications, which were facial nerve paresis in two cases (3 injections, 30%) and diplopia in one case (1 injection, 10%), were transient and subsided in 2 weeks.

A case of marked dilatation of cerebral arteries and capillary beds associated with cyanotic congenital heart disease is reported. Computed tomography revealed many cyanosis-induced tortuous vessels in the basal cistern at 12 years old, and cerebral angiography verified the diffuse marked dilatation of main trunks, perforating arteries, and capillary beds at 15 years old. After the ventriculoperitoneal shunt was performed for the venous congestion–induced hydrocephalus, cerebral hemorrhaging occured three times, in which cyanosis-derived vasodilatation and venous hypertension were suggested to be involved.

We have succeeded in fabricating metallic Pt monolayers on 1 nm thick films of α-Al 2 O 3 supported on Ru(0 0 0 1) by metal deposition. The surface structure and metallic property have been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The clustering of the Pt monolayer is induced by the electric field applied from the STM tip. Furthermore, the vibrational spectrum of CO adsorbed on this surface was observed by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy and the electronic property is discussed on the basis of this spectrum.