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著者人数: 15名, Accepted: 2014-09-27, 資料番号: SA1004925000

Inductive proximity sensors are noncontact sensing devices used to detect the approach of a target by an increase in coil resistance due to eddy current loss. Extending the operating distance of these sensors is demanded. In this paper, we propose the use of a magnetoplated wire (MPW) as a sensing coil. The MPW is a copper wire, whose circumference is plated with a magnetic thin film. We analyze the impedance of a proximity sensor using a copper wire (COW) and MPW coils by a finite element method. The use of the MPW results in a decrease in AC resistance due to the proximity effect, an increase in inductance, and the generation of a higher flux than when the COW is used. Therefore, it is possible to increase the quality factor Q of the MPW coil. As a result, the operating distances of the MPW and COW coils are 5.0 and 3.8 mm, respectively. The operating distance of the MPW coil is 1.3-fold that of the COW coil., Article, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS. 45(10):4463-4466 (2009)

A detailed morphological comparison of Trematochromis schreyeni only known from its holotype, collected at the north-western end of Lake Tanganyika, and 'Ctenochromis benthicola described from the same region, and some additional material led to the conclusion that the two species were conspecifics. Consequently, T. schreyeni is considered to be a junior synonym of 'C.' benthicola, an endemic species to the lake. A redescription of'C.' henthicola is also given. A statistical test comparing a single specimen and several specimens is difficult to carry out, because no variation is known in T. schreyeni. The present study, therefore, calculated Mahalanobis' distance between the holotype of T. schreyeni and specimens of 'C.' benthicola, and applied the Χ 2 test.

Deoxycyclopaldic acid (1) and cyclopaldic acid (2) were isolated from cultures of the fungus Penicillium sp. as plant growth regulators and their structures were established by spectroscopic evidence. Deoxycyclopaldic acid was found in nature for the first time. The biological activities of 1 and 2 have been examined using bioassay methods with lettuce and rice seedlings.

GaSbx As1-x films with Sb compositions of x = 0.34-0.86 were grown on glass substrates by molecular-beam deposition. We show that GaSbAs can be deposited as p-type single-phase polycrystalline films even at a low substrate temperature of 300 °C. The hole mobility of the GaSbx As1-x films with x = 0.80 was 20 cm2/Vs at room temperature. Analysis of the temperature dependence of hole mobility reveals that the high mobility is due to the low height of potential barriers at grain boundaries. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Object. The purpose of this study was the analysis of a large series of patients treated with gamma knife radiosurgery for pituitary adenoma in a single institution. Methods. One hundred eight patients with pituitary adenomas were treated over the last 7 years. Seventy-four patients have been followed for more than 6 months and form the basis of this report. Conclusions. Twenty-three patients harbored nonfunctioning adenomas, and 56 harbored functioning adenomas. The mean margin dose was 22.5 Gy (nonfunctioning adenomas, 19.5 Gy; functioning adenomas, 23.8 Gy). Control of tumor growth was achieved in 91%. A significant decrease of excessive hormone production was seen in 80% of patients, and the endocrinological normalization rate was 30.3%. Postradiosurgical complications were seen in 2.5%.

We report the small angle neutron scattering studies on the lamellar-to-gyroid morphology transition in a nonionic surfactant system under shear flow condition. The morphology transition is suppressed by the shear flow when the shear rate exceeds a critical value. This means that the shear field suppresses the undulation fluctuation of lamellar the structure above the critical shear rate. On the contrary when we applied shear flow in the gyroid phase, the shear-induced gyroid-to-lamellar transition was observed above the critical shear rate. The critical shear rate for the suppression of the undulation fluctuation agrees with the critical shear rate for shear induced gyroid-to-lamellar transition.

Object. The purpose of this study was the analysis of a large series of patients treated with gamma knife radiosurgery for pituitary adenoma in a single institution. Methods. One hundred eight patients with pituitary adenomas were treated over the last 7 years. Seventy-four patients have been followed for more than 6 months and form the basis of this report. Conclusions. Twenty-three patients harbored nonfunctioning adenomas, and 56 harbored functioning adenomas. The mean margin dose was 22.5 Gy (nonfunctioning adenomas, 19.5 Gy; functioning adenomas, 23.8 Gy). Control of tumor growth was achieved in 91%. A significant decrease of excessive hormone production was seen in 80% of patients, and the endocrinological normalization rate was 30.3%. Postradiosurgical complications were seen in 2.5%.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an effective treatment for meningiomas. However, it may be difficult to deliver what is currently considered an optimal dose, especially if the tumor is large or adjacent to critical structures. Eleven cases are presented with a follow-up of more than 12 months where the margin dose did not exceed 10 Gy. The mean age was 48.8 years. The mean follow-up period was 35.7 months (range 21 to 57 months). The mean volume of the tumors was 9.4 cm3 (range 1.6 to 28.9 cm3). The margin dose was less than 10 Gy in all 11 cases, due to a large volume in two cases. Four tumors were close to the visual pathways. Five tumors were close to the brain stem. Imaging follow-up showed that four tumors had shrunk after radiosurgery. The remaining seven cases remained unchanged. There was no tumor growth after radiosurgery. A transient oculomotor palsy was observed in two cases after radiosurgery. It is suggested that Gamma Knife radiosurgery using lower dosage than usual is one of the options for the treatment of meningioma.

We review 48 cases of meningioma treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery. The mean marginal dose was 15 Gy and the mean follow-up was 12 months. Follow-up computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed tumor shrinkage in 19 cases, central necrosis in 1 case, loss of contrast enhancement in 1 case, and no change in 27 cases. We noted 4 cases of radiation-induced edema in supratentorial meningiomas.

This paper describes the new multi-functional LSI for home VCRs, which incorporates, in addition to a video signal processor, a normal audio signal processor and REC/PB FM equalizer using a new process. A completely adjustment-free system is accomplished with both zener-zap and automatic adjustment circuit techniques. Other notable achievements are smaller chip size as well as shorter development lead time, due to our own new process and CAE method.

We previously reported significant increases in body weight in B6C3F1 mice continuously exposed to low-dose-rate (21 mGy/day) gamma rays compared to that of nonirradiated control mice (Tanaka et al., Radiat. Res. 167, 417-437, 2007). To further study the underlying cause of the increase in body weight, feed consumption, adipose tissue weight, liver and serum lipid contents, and selected factors related to glucose and lipid metabolism such as serum levels of insulin and adipocytokines were examined in female B6C3F1 mice irradiated continuously with gamma rays at 20 mGy/day in group-housed or individually housed rearing conditions. Increased body weight, adipose tissue weight, serum levels of leptin, and lipid contents of the liver and serum were observed in both group-housed (accumulated dose = 6 Gy, 43 weeks from start of irradiation) and individually housed (accumulated dose = 4.4 Gy, 31 weeks from start of irradiation) irradiated mice compared to nonirradiated controls. Feed consumption measurements, however, revealed no significant difference between irradiated mice and nonirradiated controls when mice were housed individually. Our results show for the first time that the increase in the body weight of mice continuously irradiated with low-dose-rate gamma rays is due to adiposity with no corresponding increase in feed consumption.

Serodiagnosis by immunoblot, using recombinant chimeric T. solium antigen and native glycoprotein antigens, has been applied for neurocysticercosis cases. Specific antibodies against both antigens were detected in serum samples from NCC patients involving multiple cysts in the brain, whereas it was not always easy to detect specific antibodies in NCC cases with a solitary cyst or calcified lesion(s). On the other hand, the diagnosis for human taeniasis or worm carriers has been routinely performed by stool examination. In this study, multiplex PCR has been established to differentiate taeniasis using Taenia mitochondrial DNA in fecal samples from worm carriers. Furthermore, the molecular identification of human taeniid cestodes by base excision sequence scanning thymine-base analysis has also been introduced. This method provides four thymine-base peak profiles unique for Asian and American/African genotypes of T. solium, T. saginata and T. asiatica. By comparing thymine base peak profiles, it is possible to differentiate human taeniid cestodes without DNA sequencing. The approaches are powerful tools for the routine diagnosis of taeniasis and the molecular identification of taeniid cestodes.

A new taste-modifying protein named curculin was extracted with 0.5 M NaCl from the fruits of Curculigo latifolia and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, CM-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. Purified curculin thus obtained gave a single band having a Mr of 12,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 8 M urea. The molecular weight determined by low-angle laser light scattering was 27,800. These results suggest that native curculin is a dimer of a 12,000-Da polypeptide. The complete amino acid sequence of curculin was determined by automatic Edman degradation. Curculin consists of 114 residues. Curculin itself elicits a sweet taste. After curculin, water elicits a sweet taste, and sour substances induce a stronger sense of sweetness. No protein with both sweet-tasting and taste-modifying activities has ever been found. There are five sets of tripeptides common to miraculin (a taste-modifying protein), six sets of tripeptides common to thaumatin (a sweet protein), and two sets of tripeptides common to monellin (a sweet protein). Anti-miraculin serum was not immunologically reactive with curculin. The mechanism of the taste-modifying action of curculin is discussed.

Nonequilibrium MHD plasma flow in a high-interaction disk-type MHD generator is examined by numerical simulations based on the two-temperature model equations. The simulations are performed for the generators driven by working gases: He-Cs and He-K. Homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasma behavior is observed with change of the load resistance, and it is found that the structures of the inhomogeneous plasma differ for different seed materials. The plasma structures associated with both the partial ionization instability and the magnetoacoustic instability are discussed for both plasmas. >

Detection of seven specific bands by immunoblot (IB) using glycoproteins (GPs) purified by lentil-lectin affinity chromatography has been the gold-standard for neurocysticercosis (NCC) serodiagnosis since 1989. However, due to the presence of contaminants, it was impossible to apply the GPs to ELISA. Our group at Asahikawa Medical College (AMC) succeeded in purifying the GPs by preparative isoelectric focusing; these higher quality GPs were suitable for ELISA. Based on the results of both IB and ELISA testing, developed at AMC for a field survey in Irian Jaya, it became evident that that area had pandemic NCC. We found many NCC patients, pigs full of cysts, and one dog infected with two cysts: these findings were based on serology. Recently, we conducted another survey to detect of the worm carriers of T. solium. Three of the 38 local people were positive by copro-antigen specific to Taenia species; these three patients expelled segments of Taenia spp and these were confirmed as those of T. solium by mitochondrial DNA analysis. When viable eggs of any taeniid species could be obtained, they can be developed into metacestodes in NOD-scid mice; it then becomes possible to analyze morphological dynamics, metacestode antigenicity, the efficacy of new metacestocidal drugs, and mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the specimens obtained in Irian Jaya was compared with that of other isolates worldwide. T. solium is now divided into two genotypes: the Asian type, and the Africa-American type. Some aspects of the pathological differences between the Asian and Africa-American types and the antigenic components of these two types are discussed.

Summary form only given. In this paper, we present an optical performance monitor that employs an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF), which has previously been utilized as a wavelength channel counter for per-channel output power control in an EDFA repeater. This monitor, which features low cost, high reliability, and high-speed operations, can detect SNRs, output levels per channel, and the number of channels, information which can be used in the supervision and control of EDFA repeaters.

This paper describes a new fluid motor named "Crown Motor". It uses a new mechanism that consists of two crown gears with more than three cylinders around the rotation axis. The torque of this motor is high, with a high gear ratio of 77:1, accomplished by using only two crown gears, while rotation speed is slow enough (/spl sim/16 rpm) to allow for mobile robotic applications. The Crown Motor has been developed for the new fire fighter robot "Genbu" under construction in our laboratory. It has many advanced properties to be used in many applications: 1) it can drive with a low-pressure fluid (0.2/spl sim/0.7 MPa), like tap water (/spl sim/0.2 MPa); 2) it is able to control its torque and rotation speed independently when the supplied pressure of fluid is constant; and 3) it is easy to apply the motor to many kinds of machines such as used under (near) water or any kind of fluid. The electric and mechanical valve systems used are also described.

As spread spectrum CDMA systems use the same carrier frequency between adjacent base stations, co-channel interference becomes very severe. Present practical systems adapt soft handover to overcome this interference near the cell boundary. Picocellular CDMA indoor systems, which use simple base stations, increase the telephone call loss due to using soft handover in these areas. This paper introduces a co-channel interference rule in the previously proposed decision-avoided handover algorithm and compares the performance with that of soft handover using a propagation simulator. The evaluation resulted in better performance than for soft handover.

Our group at Asahikawa Medical College has established differential serodiagnosis for zoonotic larval cestodiases such as alveolar echinococcosis (AE), cystic echinococcosis (CE) and neurocysticercosis (NCC) using purified specific antigens. In this brief review, we introduce (a) four imported CE cases in Japan, easily identified serologically, (b) most recent advances in serology for differentiation of AE and monitoring of prognosis of AE in Japan. It includes application of affinity purified Em18 and prototype of a recombinant Em18 antigen. Serology using affinity purified Em18 antigens is showing much higher sensitivity for detection of AE cases which are usually undetectable by the ongoing serology for AE authorized in Hokkaido, Japan. As serology for AE, CE or NCC is still not popular in the majority of Asian countries, we expect that this review paper stimulates researchers who are interested in serology or serodiagnosis for these larval cestodiases including AE, CE and NCC.

The major three species of human taeniid cestodes, Taenia solium, T. saginata and T. saginata asiatica (= T. asiatica) which require humans as the definitive host are still not rare in developing countries. Among these, T. solium is the most serious with medical and economic importance. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) in humans is now recognized as the major cause of neurologic disease in the world. As these human taeniid cestodes obligatory require domestic animals such as swine, cattle and swine as the major intermediate host animals respectively, it is not easy to analyze the basic research in these domestic animals. In this brief review, we introduce experimental animal model for these three species in order to obtain fully developed metacestode stage in severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice. Non-obese diabetic scid (NOD-scid) mice are expected to be a satisfactory animal model and to have advantages for analysis by several view points of developmental biology with gene expression throughout development, antigenic homology of cyst fluid of these three species, evaluation of drug efficacy or metacestocidal drug designs, confirmation of unknown taeniid gravid segments for identification based on the morphology and DNA analysis of metacestodes. The animal model is not only available for human Taenia spp but can also be applied to other taeniid cestodes of economic importance or in veterinary parasitology.

In dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, the inhibition of plasma DPP-4 activity by 80% is considered sufficient to have an effect on glycemic control improvement through the elevation of intact glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). To clarify whether or not the 80% inhibition is sufficient to protect against GLP-1 degradation, we investigated rats with a continuous infusion of exogenous GLP-1. When GLP-1 was infused into the femoral or portal vein, the steady state active GLP-1 levels in plasma significantly increased (P

A 45-year-old male presented with an extremely rare case of symmetrical kissing aneurysms located at the both ends of the anterior communicating artery. Angiography and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography clearly showed the relationship of the kissing aneurysms. The aneurysms were clipped through the right pterional approach. Temporary clipping of the anterior cerebral arteries for 5 minutes was required to gain enough operative space. The patient was discharged without neurological deficits. 3D-CT angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, or rotatory digital subtraction angiography may be useful for detecting kissing aneurysms, but the most important issue is awareness of this unusual condition.

Affinity labeling showed that active caspases with molecular masses of 20 kDa, 19 kDa, and 17 kDa were formed upon treatment of human leukemia U937 cells with GGO. These caspases are quite similar to those activated by treatments with other apoptosis-inducers, such as VP16 and camptothecin, suggesting that similar caspases, such as caspases 3 and 6, are activated during apoptosis in U937 cells that is induced by a variety of apoptosis-inducing stimuli. An inhibitor of caspases, Z-Asp-CH2DCB, inhibited DNA fragmentation in response to GGO in vivo by blocking the cleavage of 20-kDa to 17-kDa peptides. This cleavage is catalyzed by caspase 3 itself or by a caspase-3-like protease. In contrast, other inhibitors of caspases such as Z-DEVD-FMK and Z-VAD-FMK, inhibited the processing of the caspase 3 precursor p32 to 20-kDa and 17-kDa peptides, a result which suggests that these inhibitors inhibited other upstream caspases. Treatment of U937 cells with GGO resulted in the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria prior to DNA fragmentation and the release of cytochrome c was inhibited by Zn2+ ions and by a chelator of Ca2+ ions but not by inhibitors of caspases such as Z-Asp-CH2DCB or Z-VAD-FMK. These results suggest that intracellular free Ca2+ ions, and some caspases that are inhibited by Zn2+ ions, but not by Z-Asp-CH2DCB or Z-VAD-FMK are necessary for the release of cytochrome c that is caused by the treatment with GGO.

We have previously reported that vitamin K2 (VK2) has a potent apoptosis inducing activity toward various types of primary cultured leukemia cells including acute myelogenous leukemia arising from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We established a novel cell line, designated MDS-KZ, from a patient with MDS in blastic transformation, and further investigated the effects of VK2 using this novel cell line. MDS-KZ shows complex chromosomal anomaly including -4, 5q-, -7, 13q+, 20q-, consistent with that seen in the original patient. Culture of MDS-KZ cells in RPMI1640 medium containing 10% FBS lead to steady but very slow proliferation with a doubling time of 14 days. However, the cellular growth rate was significantly accelerated in the presence of various growth factors such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, stem cell factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-3, and thrombopoietin. Most of the cultured cells show the morphological features of myeloblasts. They are positive for CD7, CD33, CD34, CD45, CD117, and HLA-DR. However, about 10% of the cells are more mature metamyelocytes and neutrophils with various dysplastic characteristics such as pseudo-Pelger nuclear anomaly and hypersegmentation, suggesting a potential for differentiation in this cell line. As previously reported for cultured primary leukemia cells, exposure to VK2, but not to VK1, resulted in induction of apoptosis of MDS-KZ cells in a dose-dependent manner (IC50: 5 microM). In addition, VK2 treatment induced down-regulation of BCL-2 and up-regulation of BAX protein expression with concomitant activation of caspase-3 (CPP32). A tetrapeptide functioning as antagonist of caspase-3, Ac-DEVD-H, suppressed the VK2-induced inhibition of cell growth, suggesting that caspase-3 is, at least in part, involved in VK2-induced apoptosis. These observations suggest that the MDS-KZ cell line can serve as a model for the study of the molecular mechanisms of VK2-induced apoptosis.

Phosphoneuroprotein (PNP 14) is abundant in the central nervous system and is localized at nerve endings but not in synaptic vesicles. In this study, we examined the presence of PNP 14 in various endocrine tissues of the rat. PNP 14 was not detected in the endocrine cells of the intestine, testes, or adrenal gland, but it was present in axon terminals in both the medulla of the adrenal gland and the anterior pituitary gland. When testes were stained with PNP 14-specific antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescence method, PNP 14 was found in Sertoli cells of the testes, associated with fibrillar structures. PNP 14 was also detected in cultured Sertoli cells with a fibrillar pattern in the cytoplasm and around the nuclei. The fibrillar structure did not resemble actin stress fibers, microtubules, or intermediate filaments. The amount of PNP 14 in the testis changed with development. It increased markedly during the first 4 weeks after birth and then decreased. During the first 4 weeks after birth, spermatogonia undergo two rounds of meiosis. It is possible, therefore, that PNP 14 might be a factor related to meiosis.

Lewy bodies (LBs) are hallmark lesions of degenerating neurons in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Recently, a point mutation in the gene encoding the presynaptic alpha-synuclein protein was identified in some autosomal-dominantly inherited familial PD pedigrees, and light microscopic studies demonstrated alpha-synuclein immunoreactivity in LBs of sporadic PD and DLB. To characterize alpha-synuclein in LBs, we raised monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to LBs purified from DLB brains and obtained a MAb specific for alpha-synuclein that intensely labeled LBs. Light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical studies performed with this MAb as well as other antibodies to alpha-and beta-synuclein showed that alpha-synuclein, but not beta-synuclein, is a component of LBs in sporadic PD and DLB. Western blot analyses of highly purified LBs from DLB brains showed that full-length as well as partially truncated and insoluble aggregates of alpha-synuclein are deposited in LBs. Thus, these data strongly implicate alpha-synuclein in the formation of LBs and the selective degeneration of neurons in sporadic PD and DLB.

In a previous study, we demonstrated that bufalin, which is an active principle of Chinese medicine, chan'su, caused apoptosis in human leukemia U937 cells by anomalous activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) via the signaling pathway of Ras, Raf-1, and MAPK kinase-1. Here, we report the effect of overexpression of bcl-2 in U937 cells on the signaling pathway of apoptosis that is induced by bufalin. The results indicated that the apoptosis induced by bufalin in U937 cells was significantly inhibited by overexpression of the Bcl-2 protein. No significant difference was detected in the activation of MAPK kinase-1 that is induced by bufalin in wild-type or Bcl-2-overexpressed U937 cells; however, the activation of MAPK by bufalin was significantly attenuated in the cells overexpressing Bcl-2. Bufalin treatment activated activator protein-1 transcriptional activity; however, this activation was decreased to 40% in bcl-2-overexpressed U937 cells. These results indicate that Bcl-2 acts downstream of MAPK kinase-1 but upstream of MAPK and suggest that, in the signaling pathway of the apoptotic process induced by bufalin, the transcriptional activity of activator protein-1 may be down-regulated through the inhibition of MAPK activity by Bcl-2.

The treatment of human leukemia U937 cells with 10(-8) M bufalin in the absence of serum resulted in the immediate translocation of casein kinase 2 (CK 2) from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, as determined by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Concomitantly, the activity of topoisomerase (topo) II, as determined by monitoring activities specific to this enzyme such as DNA relaxation, DNA decatenation, and topo II-mediated DNA cleavage, was enhanced. The activity reached a maximum after 3 h and then decreased markedly after treatment with bufalin for 9 h. The amount of a complex of CK 2 and topo IIalpha in U937 cells was estimated by immunoprecipitation with antibodies raised against subunits of CK 2 and against topo IIalpha. The amount increased just after the start of treatment with bufalin and reached a maximum at 6 h. The results suggest that the topo IIalpha in the complex might have been phosphorylated by the translocated CK 2 and that the topo activity was stimulated by such phosphorylation. Apoptotic U937 cells with fragmented nuclei were observed between 9 and 12 h after the start of treatment using 10(-8) M bufalin. Therefore, it appears that the bufalin signal was transmitted to the nucleus by the translocation of CK 2, which formed a complex with topo IIalpha and modulated the activity of this enzyme, leading to the induction of apoptosis.

Alkali-lignin, lignin sulfonate or protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) significantly enhanced the ascorbyl radical intensity and cytotoxic activity of ascorbate, but inhibited the intracellular incorporation of [14C]ascorbic acid. These natural products also enhanced ascorbate-induced oxygen consumption, resulting in the rapid depletion of oxygen from culture medium. Enhancement of oxygen consumption was coupled with elevation of oxidation potential. These data suggest that lignin and PSK stimulate the cytotoxic activity of ascorbate by hypoxia.

We have found that GGO is a potent inducer of apoptosis in various human tumor cell lines, including a myeloid multipotential leukemia K562 cell line which is resistant to the induction of apoptosis by various apoptosis-inducing agents and conditions. Polyprenylalcohols with isoprenyl units shorter than the geranylgeranyl group or longer than farnesyl group were less effective in inducing apoptosis in myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells and polyprenylketones had no apoptosis-inducing activity. The fragmentation of DNA in HL-60 cells by GGO was so rapid, no significant effect on the cell cycle was observed. [3H]GGO was taken up by HL-60 cells in 3 h and was incorporated into several proteins. The expression of c-myc and bcl-2 decreased significantly within 3 h of the start of the treatment of HL-60 cells with 50 microM GGO.

To solve many problems of contact suspension systems in the process of steal work, the authors have directed the attention to magnetically levitated systems as a non-contact suspension, and propose a simplified model which consists of iron plate levitated by two electromagnets. The simplified model have two problems such as a magnetic saturation and a vibration, however, which can be imploved by using an H ∞ robust control theory.

A phenomenological small strain model is developed to capture the elastoviscoplastic behaviour of a 20% filled polypropylene. The constitutive model is based on a multiplicative viscoplastic law. The hydrostatic pressure dependency is considered by using the Drucker Prager yield surface. A phenomenological damage model characterised directly by experimental investigation is used to capture the yield degradation during the deformation in tension. The volume variation due to the cavitation phenomenon is captured by using non-associated viscoplasticity. Some experimental tests at different speed loadings are carried out for the parameters identification of the constitutive model. Furthermore, a fracture model which depends on the stress triaxiality and the strain rate is developed in order to model the complete behaviour of the material studied until fracture.

Erythropoietin is a cytokine which specifically regulates differentiation and proliferation of erythroid progenitor cells. We show here that binding of erythropoietin to its receptor induced activation of protein tyrosine kinases including Jak2, and of Ras, Raf-1, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase and MAP kinases (ERK1 and ERK2). Taken together with other observations, erythropoietin receptor-mediated signal activates MAP kinase cascade, which is the common signaling pathway activated by other cytokines and growth factor receptors with tyrosine kinase activity.

Bufalin, an active principle of the traditional Chinese medicine chan'su, has been proved to be a potent differentiation inducer in human leukemia cells. To study the mechanism of the differentiation of human leukemia ML1 cells induced by bufalin, we measured the effect of 10 nM bufalin on cell growth, activities of various protein kinases, and cell cycle. The ML1 cell growth was inhibited significantly at 24 hr and the inhibiting effect persisted for 6 days. Activities of PKC, PKA, cdc2 kinase and CK II in ML1 cells were changed early by bufalin; PKA and PKC activities were inhibited, and cdc2 kinase and CK II activities were increased. These results suggest that bufalin induces differentiation of ML1 cells by modulating several protein kinase activities in a distinct way from RA and 1 alpha, 25(OH) 2D3. Cell cycle changes, measured by flow cytometry, became evident at 12 hr after treatment of ML1 cells with bufalin and the cells were preferentially arrested in the G2/M phase. This effect of bufalin on the cell cycle of leukemia cells is similar to that of topoisomerase inhibitors. Indeed, the activity of topoisomerase II but not topoisomerase I of ML1 cells was inhibited remarkably by the treatment of the cells with 10 nM bufalin.

We have screened more than one thousand synthetic and natural chemicals to explore differentiation inducers and found that daidzein has potent differentiation-inducing activity for human leukemia HL-60 cells, both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro study showed that daidzein at concentrations exceeding 10 micrograms/ml caused inhibition of HL-60 cells; and it induced differentiation of the cells into granulocytic lineage as judged by NBT reduction activity, phagocytic ability and morphological characteristics. Flow cytometry study indicated that daidzein arrested HL-60 cells in the G1 phase. The growth of HL-60 cells in the subrenal capsules of mice and in diffusion chambers implanted into the peritoneal cavities of mice was inhibited by 50 mg/kg daidzein. HL-60 cells treated with daidzein in vivo also exhibited characteristic morphological changes of matured cells. Moreover, the colony forming efficiency of HL-60 cells in diffusion chambers in mice was markedly inhibited by the administration of daidzein.

3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid (CMPF) accumulates markedly in uremic serum in its albumin-bound form. To determine if CMPF can be removed by newly developed dialyzers with high-flux membranes which are permeable to low-molecular-weight proteins, such as beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG), serum levels of CMPF were determined before and after hemodialysis using these high-flux membrane dialyzers. In addition, to determine the pathogenic role of CMPF in uremic patients, its cellular toxicity due to its effect on mitochondrial respiration was studied. The reduction rates of CMPF by hemodialysis using the dialyzers ranged from -17% to -24%, demonstrating the nondialyzability of CMPF due to its strong albumin-binding, while those of beta 2-MG ranged from 11% to 43%. CMPF inhibited ADP-stimulated oxidation of NADH-linked substrates in isolated mitochondria dose-dependently regardless of the presence of serum albumin. This inhibition was observed even at a concentration of 0.2 mM, which is comparable to the serum levels of CMPF in the hemodialysis patients. In conclusion CMPF which cannot be removed even by high-flux membrane dialyzers, is a strong inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration, and novel purification methods to remove CMPF from the blood of uremic patients should be developed.

The magnetic susceptibilities of SrCu2(PO4)2 and BaCu2(PO4)2 with Cu2+-ion chains composed of four-spin zigzag units approach zero at 0 K after correction for paramagnetic components which is suggestive of a singlet ground state. A four-spin cluster model and an alternating chain model were applied to the Sr compound and the Ba compound, respectively. Muon spin relaxation varies little with temperature. On cooling, the resonance field of 31P NMR shifts with temperature in the Sr compound, whereas in the Ba compound the resonance peak does not shift with temperature but broadens at low temperatures. The energy gap was evaluated to be 47 K for the Sr compound from the temperature dependence of T1.The difference in magnetism of the two compounds may be attributed to the difference in the intercluster interaction.

We have recently demonstrated that bufalin is a new potent inducer of the differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells. The present work was carried out to examine further the effect of bufalin on the growth and characteristics of human leukemia-derived cell lines U937, ML1, and HL60. At concentrations of 5-10 nM, bufalin decreased the growth of ML1 cells preferentially at the G2 phase and U937 cells at the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Bufalin, under these conditions, induced the differentiation of U937, ML1, and HL60 cells to monocyte/macrophage-like cells by measuring the expression of various differentiation markers, as assessed by morphology and histochemistry, and ability to phagocytose latex particles, to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium, and to develop Fc receptors. U937 and ML1 cells started to differentiate at 4 and 6 h, respectively, after treatment with 10 nM bufalin and showed maximum differentiation 72 h later. At present, a mechanism for the bufalin-mediated induction of the differentiation of these human leukemia cells remains to be determined. The combination of bufalin with all-trans retinoic acid, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin ethylidene-beta-D-glucoside (VP16), or human gamma-interferon synergistically induced the differentiation of HL60 and U937 cells. A similar effect on ML1 cells was observed with the combination of bufalin with VP16 or human rTNF-alpha. These results suggest that bufalin in combination with VP16, all-trans retinoic acid, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, rTNF-alpha, or gamma-interferon may be very useful in the differentiation of human leukemia.

The 14-3-3 proteins are a family of acidic proteins found mainly in the brain and are suggested to have a role in monoamine synthesis based on their ability to activate tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases in the presence of type II Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that a member of the 14-3-3 family, termed Exo1, stimulates Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis in permeabilized adrenal chromaffin cells, suggesting that this protein family may influence the protein kinase C-mediated control of Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis. Here we show that the 14-3-3 proteins activate protein kinase C at about 2-fold more than the known level of the activated protein kinase, i.e. the activity of protein kinase C in the presence of Ca2+ and phospholipids. This raises the possibility that the cellular activity of protein kinase C is regulated by diverse members of the 14-3-3 family and that the reported ability of Exo1 to reactivate Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis is based on its stimulatory effect on protein kinase C activity. The 14-3-3 family, therefore, appears to be a multifunctional regulator of cell signalling processes mediated by two types of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C and type II calmodulin-dependent protein kinase.