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Introduction The identification of acute injury of the kidney relies on serum creatinine (SCr), a functional marker with poor temporal resolution as well as limited sensitivity and specificity for cellular injury. In contrast, urinary biomarkers of kidney injury have the potential to detect cellular stress and damage in real time. Methods To detect the response of the kidney to injury, we have tested a lateral flow dipstick that measures a urinary protein called neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Analysis of urine was performed in a prospective cohort of 479 patients (final cohort N = 426) entering an emergency department in New York City and subsequently admitted for inpatient care. Results Colorimetric development had high interrater reliability (88% concordance rate) and correlated with traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurements (ρ = 0.732, P < .0001). Of the 14% of the cohort who met Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) SCr criteria for acute kidney injury (AKI), 67% demonstrated transient (2 days) elevation of SCr. Comparing the outcomes of patients with sustained versus transient or undetectable changes in SCr revealed that the urinary NGAL (uNGAL) dipstick had high specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) (high- vs. low-intermediate readings, sensitivity = 0.55, specificity = 0.91, positive predictive value = 0.24, NPV = 0.97, χ2 = 20.39, P < 0.001). Conclusion We show that the introduction of a bedside uNGAL dipstick permits accurate triage by identifying individuals who do not have tubular injury. In an era of shortening length of stay and rapid decisions based on isolated SCr measurements, real-time exclusion of kidney injury by a dipstick will be particularly useful to overcome the retrospective, insensitive, and nonspecific attributes of SCr., Graphical abstract

Background Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for calcified coronary artery remains challenging in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. The effectiveness of drug-coated balloons (DCBs) and orbital atherectomy system (OAS) is unknown. Methods In this retrospective, single-center study, we compared the use of DCBs with second- and third-generation DESs following orbital atherectomy (OA) for calcified de novo coronary lesions. All patients underwent PCI with intravascular imaging. The primary endpoint was major cardiac event, that was a composite of cardiac death, death for unknown cause, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization at 1 year. Results Between June 2018 and December 2019, 107 patients with coronary lesions were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups: 23 patients in DCB group and 84 patients in DES group. The post-procedure segment percentage diameter stenosis was 23.1% (interquartile range [IQR], 17.7 to 32.5) with DCB versus 14.4% (IQR, 10.0 to 21.2) with DES (P Conclusions In calcified coronary artery disease, using DCB following OA is as safe and effective as using DES following OA with respect to 1-year clinical outcomes. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare 27-gauge (27G) with 25-gauge (25G) microincision vitrectomy in patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM). Participants Seventy-four eyes of 66 patients undergoing 3-port pars plana vitrectomy using 27G or 25G instrumentation. Methods Seventy-four eyes of 66 patients with ERM, who underwent 27G or 25G microincision vitrectomy were prospectively evaluated. Results The mean operation time for vitrectomy was significantly longer in the 27G group than in the 25G group (9.9±3.5 vs 6.2±2.7 min, respectively, P

BACKGROUND Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habits, both of which are exacerbated by psychological stress. The translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO) is a marker of reactive gliosis in a number of central nervous system (CNS) diseases and responsible for many cellular functions, including neurosteroidogenesis. Although it has been reported that psychological stress disturbs neurosteroids levels, the pathophysiological relevance of TSPO in IBS is poorly understood. METHODS We examined the effects of a TSPO antagonist, ONO-2952, on stress-induced stool abnormality and abdominal pain in rats, and on anxiety-related behavior induced by cholecystokinin. KEY RESULTS Oral administration of ONO-2952 attenuated stress-induced defecation and rectal hyperalgesia in rats with an efficacy equivalent to that of a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. In addition, ONO-2952 suppressed cholecystokinin-induced anxiety-like behavior with an efficacy equivalent to that of psychotropic drugs. On the other hand, ONO-2952 did not affect spontaneous defecation, gastrointestinal transit, visceral nociceptive threshold, and neurosteroid production in non-stressed rats even at a dose 10 times higher than its effective dose in the stress models. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES These results suggest that TSPO antagonism results in antistress action, and that ONO-2952 is a promising candidate for IBS without side effects associated with current treatment.

As a case study of local adaptation, we compared the life history traits of white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis between populations isolated in an alpine environment (altitude above 2000 m) and a normal environment (ca. 1000 m) in the Fuji River basin, near the southern limit of its distribution (35° N, 138° E). Our results showed that white-spotted charr in alpine streams had lower growth rate, longer lifespan, earlier spawning season, and were older and larger size at maturity, compared with those habiting a normal mountain stream. We concluded that charr in alpine streams were adapted to low water temperatures and long starvation periods by specialized life history traits.

We have developed 220 and 440-GHz cameras using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) for astronomical observations. The optical system of the MKID camera is based on double-slot antennas and extended hemispherical silicon lens arrays. The lens diameter is three times the target wavelength. The 220-GHz camera and the 440-GHz camera have 9 pixels and 102 pixels, respectively. The silicon lens array has been directly machined using a high-speed spindle on an ultra-precision machine. The shape fabrication error and the surface roughness of the top of the lens were typically less than 10 μm (peak-to-valley) and about 0.7 μm (rms), respectively. The beam patterns of the MKID camera were measured and are in good agreement with the calculations.

Temporal changes in abundance, growth and mortality of heterotrophic bacteria were investigated from frequent dilution experiments in the Oyashio region to evaluate their response to the spring phytoplankton bloom. Bacterial abundance fluctuated from 1.0 to 2.6×10 5 cells mL −1 . Cell density was not different between the pre-bloom and bloom periods, and showed no clear temporal pattern. Potential growth ( g ′) and mortality ( m ) varied from 1.11 to 2.39 day −1 and from 1.21 to 2.16 day −1 , respectively. Neither g ′ nor m was correlated with water temperature or chlorophyll a . Apparent growth rate in unenriched 100% seawater incubations ( g o ) was not limited by nutrients throughout the study period and was comparable to net growth rate ( g ′ −m ) estimates from dilution experiments. These results suggest that bacterial abundance is nearly steady-state in the pre-bloom and bloom period, because bacterial growth is nearly nutritionally saturated and balanced with high mortality.

The analysis of the Fully Contained Events in the KM3 neutrino astrophysics detectors can give a more reliable conclusion in the interpretation of the physical events concerned, compared with that of the Partially Contained Events. In this paper, we examine both the characteristics of the muon neutrino events and those of the electron neutrino events in the energy range from 10 TeV to 1 PeV, focusing on the aspects of the Fully Contained Events.

Nano-mechanical properties of single biomolecules and polymers as well as interaction forces between specific molecular pairs have been intensively studied during the last two decades by using atomic force microscopy with force measurement technique. In these experiments, molecules were pulled up from the substrate in vertical direction. However, it is also interesting to develop a similar lateral force-distance technique in which sample molecules stay lain on the solid surfaces during mechanical stretching. Thus, wider possibilities can be opened up to study the stretched macromolecules by other microscopy/spectroscopy methods. Since typical atomic force microscopes have the lateral scanner ranges up to ~100 μm, very long macromolecules can be studied and manipulated in this way. As an example, up to 8 μm stretching of self-polymerized poly(ethylene glycol)-bis-thiol on gold surface was observed. It was also confirmed that even in the lateral force-distance curves (50-300 nm above surface), the vertical cantilever bending, not torsion, was mainly responsible for the observed deflection signal. This made lateral force data analysis simpler since the normal force constants are easier to estimate than torsion ones. The force curves in our method were also free of any interference fringes. They had horizontal and easy identifiable baselines.

Summary Objectives : This paper examines the operational characteristics of the multivariate autoregressive analysis applied to the simultaneous recordings of the instantaneous heart rate (IHR) and the change in systolic blood pressure (SBP). Methods : The multivariate autoregressive model has been utilized to reveal the feedback characteristics between IHR and SBP. The model assumes the presence of independent set of driving forces to activate the system. However, it is likely that the driving forces may have correlation due to the presence of a common fluctuation source. This paper examines the effect of the presence of correlated components in the driving forces to the estimation accuracy of impulse responses characterizing the feedback properties. The twodimensional autoregressive model driven bytwo correlated 1/f noises was chosen for the analysis of operational characteristics. The driving force was generated by a moving average system which simulates non-integer order integration. Results : Computer simulation revealed that the mean square estimation errors of impulse responses sharply increase as relative power of common driving force exceeds 50%. However, the estimation accuracy and bias are found to be in permissible range in practice. Conclusions : These findings ensure the practical validity of utilizing multivariate autoregressive models for the feedback analysis between IHR and SBP where both signals have the common driving force.

Extragalactic background of high energy neutrinos arising from the interactions of cosmic ray protons with far-infrared extragalactic background radiation is calculated. The main assumption is that the cosmic ray spectrum at energies higher than $10^8 GeV$ has extragalactic origin and, therefore, is proton dominated. All calculations are performed with taking into account the possible cosmological evolution of extragalactic sources of cosmic ray protons as well as infrared-luminous galaxies., 8 pages (including 1 figure)

Aims: Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) is associated with frequent lymph node metastasis and adverse clinical outcome. IMPC has been reported in breast, urinary bladder, ureter, lung and parotid gland but not in colon. We present the clinicopathological features of three cases of primary IMPC of the colon with a review of the literature. Methods and results: The patients (one man and two women) were 53, 67 and 68 years old, respectively. The size of the tumour ranged from 20 to 100 mm in diameter. Histologically, all cases were composed predominantly of papillary tumour cell clusters with spaces in a background of fine fibrocollagenous stroma. One of the tumours (case 1) was nearly completely composed of IMPC, but the other two were associated with foci of adenocarcinoma and concurrent mucinous carcinoma, respectively. MUC1 was positive in all cases, suggestive of reverse cell orientation which is responsible for its unique histological features. Conclusions: We report three cases of primary IMPC of the colon. Its clinical significance remains undetermined but the presence of this component may represent a poor prognostic factor.

This paper describes our approach to support the development of large-scale Web applications. Large development efforts have to be divided into a number of smaller tasks of different kinds that can be performed by multiple developers. Once this process has taken place, it is important to manage the consistency among the artifacts in an efficient and systematic manner. Our model-driven approach makes this possible. In this paper, we discuss how a metamodel is used to describe part of the specification as a central contract among the developers. We also describe a tool that we implemented on the basis of the metamodel. The tool provides a variety of code generators and a mechanism for checking whether view artifacts, such as JavaServer PagesTM, are compliant with the model. This feature helps developers manage the consistency between a view artifact and the related business logic--HyperText Transfer Protocol request handlers.

A high-speed video camera was combined with a newly developed optical system to measure time resolved two-dimensional (2D) temperature distribution in flames. This diagnostics has been applied to measure the temperature distribution in an industrial size regenerative test furnace facility using highly preheated combustion air and heavy fuel oil. The 2D distributions of continuum emission from soot particles in these flames have been simultaneously measured at two discrete wave bands at 125 frames/sec. This allowed us to determine the temperature from each image on the basis of two-color 2D thermometry, in which the ratio of the 2D emission intensity distribution at various spatial position in the flame was converted into the respective 2D temperature distribution with much higher spatial resolution as compared to that obtainable with thermocouples. This diagnostic method was applied to both premixed and diffusion flames with highly preheated low oxygen concentration combustion air using heavy fuel oil. The results show that higher temperature regions exist continuously in the premixed flame as compared to the diffusion flame. This provided clear indication of higher NO emission from the premixed flame as compared to diffusion flames during the combustion of heavy fuel oil under high-temperature air combustion conditions. This observation is contrary to that obtained with normal temperature combustion air wherein diffusion flames result in higher NOx emission levels.

This study investigated the changes in the color of wood with heat treatment after exposure to light at various conditions. The change with exposure is attributed to the decomposition of lignin, and the process follows a first-order reaction law. The degree of color change in softwood was greater than in hardwood, while there was no significant difference between the reaction rates for softwood and hardwood. This is attributed to differences in the lignin content. The change in the color of light-irradiated wood with heat treatment increased with light-irradiation time, heating temperature, while the changes in the color of wood irradiated for more than 30 to 40 h were similar. With the investigation of the effect of wavelength, the change in the lightness, ΔL*, of all the woods tested decreased with wavelength. ΔL* became positive for light-irradiated Japanese cypress and hackberry; however, this effect disappeared with heat treatment. The chroma coordinates Δa* and Δb* of all species were minimal when irradiated with wavelengths longer than 500 and 440 nm, respectively. However, this effect disappeared with heat treatment. In softwood, Δb* was negative when exposed to light longer than 440 nm, while in hardwood, it turned negative when exposed to 390, 440, and 500 nm. However, the minimum value observed with light-irradiation disappeared with heat treatment after light-irradiation. Therefore, it is thought that chemical changes involved in the color changes due to light-irradiation differ form those involved in the color changes due to heat treatment.

There have been no reports that low serum cholesterol levels increase the risk of colorectal adenoma, although many studies have shown that they do increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Alcohol intake, which is associated with a risk of colorectal adenomas, and serum cholesterol levels are closely related. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of alcohol consumption on the association between serum cholesterol levels and colorectal adenoma.The subjects were 1,349 male patients who underwent both barium enema examination and total colonoscopy. They answered a questionnaire regarding their alcohol consumption history, and their blood samples were analysed. The subjects were divided into three groups: those with no tumour (with neither adenoma nor adenocarcinoma), those with adenoma and those with adenocarcinoma. Among the groups, the serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were compared in all the patients, in the patients who did not drink daily and in the patients who did.In all the patients, the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels did not differ between the patients with and those without adenoma. In the daily drinkers, the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in patients with adenoma than in those without.Significantly lower levels of serum cholesterol and triglycerides were found in daily drinkers with adenoma than in those without.

Although many drug treatments have been reported to theoretically improve semen parameters in male infertility, a standard method has not been established. The authors examined whether tranilast, a mast cell blocker, improves fertility and/or semen parameters in severe oligozoospermia. Seventeen patients with a sperm density of less than 10 x 10(6) sperm/mL and their fertile partners were enrolled in this study. Patients were prescribed tranilast 300 mg/day for at least 12 weeks. Semen and blood samples were collected before and after the prescription of tranilast for 12 weeks. Semen parameters, serum gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, serum testosterone, and testicular size were evaluated. One patient complained of mild drowsiness during treatment. The sperm count was significantly increased after administration of tranilast in 7 patients (41.1%), although sperm motility was not altered. Semen volume and normal morphology were also unaltered. Three pregnancies were achieved. Endocrine profile and testicular size were unchanged. Tranilast, a mast cell blocker, is clinically useful for the treatment of severe idiopathic oligozoospermic men.

A delay-locked loop (DLL) must have a large delay line to work over a wide range of frequency. This makes the layout area larger. A hierarchy delay line solves this problem. But coarse and fine delay changing at the same time causes jitter. This DLL and voltage down converter (VDC) avoids the jitter problem.

The characteristics of planar magnetron discharges of an O2/Ar mixture are clarified using the particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo method. The simulation is carried out for axisymmetrical magnetic fields under the condition of constant total gas pressure of 5?mTorr and constant applied voltage of 500?V. The fraction of oxygen partial pressure, p_O2, is changed from 30?% to 70?%. In the case of pO2 = 50% the order of the magnitude of number densities is ne>nAr+>nO2+>nO+>>nO-. As pO2 increases, the electrical field becomes weaker, the cathode sheath becomes thicker, nAr+ decreases, nO2+ and nO+ first increase and then decrease, and the total flux of positive ions onto the cathode decreases. The effect of the arrangement of a magnet system on the total ion flux is also examined.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to support the growth of multipotential hematopoietic stem cells in addition to the cells of neutrophilic lineage. Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-positive leukemia has its origin in the hematopoietic stem cell. In the present study, we demonstrated that the proliferation of leukemic cells from chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis (CML-BC) and Ph1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases is frequently stimulated with G-CSF in vitro. We next studied a total of 12 leukemic cell lines established from CML-BC (n= 6) and Ph1-positive acute leukemia (n= 6): four 'myeloid', five 'biphenotypic', and three 'lymphoid' types. All cell lines expressed G-CSF receptor (G-CSFR) in flow cytometric analysis, but their proliferative response to G-CSF in 3H-thymidine incorporation assay varied. The 'biphenotypic' cell lines expressed G-CSFR at higher levels and showed the most pronounced response to G-CSF. The 'lymphoid' cell lines showed intermediate G-CSFR expression with the modest response to G-CSF. Unexpectedly, 'myeloid' cell lines showed lower G-CSFR expression and lower G-CSF response compared with 'biphenotypic' cell lines. In three of four 'myeloid' cell lines, proliferation was partially inhibited by an addition of anti-G-CSF neutralizing monoclonal antibody into culture medium. Further, the % inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake of cell lines positively correlated with the amount of their intracellular G-CSF measured by enzyme immunoassay, suggesting an autocrine growth mechanism via the G-CSF/G-CSFR interaction. These results suggest that G-CSF play an important role in the growth regulation of leukemia cells from Ph1-positive acute leukemia and CML-BC.

One notable functional abnormality in murine and human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the defect in the production of IL-2 in association with the deficit in naive CD4+ T cells. The mechanism is unknown, but one idea is that naturally occurring autoantibodies with specificities to the naive CD4+ T cell subpopulation are related to this event. We selected hybridoma monoclonal autoantibodies from SLE-prone (New Zealand Black (NZB) × New Zealand White (NZW))F1 mice that reacted with restricted populations of CD4+ T cells. One of these, H32, was specific for L-selectin, as determined by 1) distribution of Ag H32 on lymphoid cells similar to Mel-14, an epitope of L-selectin; 2) shedding of 80-kDa molecules with epitope H32 from the surface of lymph node cells coincidentally with Mel-14, when stimulated with phorbol ester; 3) cross-inhibitory activities on Ag binding between H32 and Mel-14; and 4) reactivity of H32 with recombinant mouse L-selectin. Pretreatment of 51Cr-labeled lymphocytes from BALB/c mice with H32 significantly inhibited their homing to lymph nodes in vivo. The BALB/c splenic H32+ CD4+ T cell subset produced few cytokines except IL-2, thus corresponding to naive ThP-type cells. This subset was markedly selectively depleted in aged (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. There was an age-associated increase in frequencies and titers of anti-L-selectin autoantibodies in sera from (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. Thus, abnormalities of naive CD4+ T cell subset, including IL-2 production in subjects with SLE, are at least partly attributed to the generation of autoantibodies to L-selectin.

We have developed an optical detector module for use in deep underwater experiments that will search for high-energy neutrinos from cosmic rays and astronomical sources. This module is sensitive to single photons, is operable under high pressure, functions automatically and is remotely controlled. The optical module is based on a 15 in. diameter photomultiplier tube (PMT), with control and read-out electronics mounted inside a 17 in. diameter glass pressure housing. The photomultiplier output signal is converted into two optical pulses by the electronics, one giving the hit time and time-over-threshold of the PMT output pulse and the other giving the charge-integrated PMT signal. Information on the arrival time and intensity of light can be extracted from these pulses. The time jitter of the optical modules is ∼6 and ∼2 ns at FWHM for one photoelectron and ∼100 photoelectrons, respectively. The unit requires 10 W power delivered at 48 V DC on a line with superposed bidirectional control signals. Fast output is uni-directional on a multi-mode fiber optic link to a remote time digitizer. The module has been successfully tested and calibrated in the laboratory, and several have briefly operated in the deep ocean.

Accurate measurement of the underground fluctuations of radiation intensity has been undertaken. The radiation intensity is clearly correlated with the difference between the temperature on the ground surface and that underground. When the temperature at the surface is higher than that underground throughout the entire day, then the radiation intensity is consistently high.

Accurate measurement of the total number of muons in an air shower is important for estimating the cosmic ray chemical composition. In order to translate this view into action, we have constructed an air shower array at Ohya. Many large muon detectors have been deployed in the stone mine and the total area amounts to about 400 m2. At the ground surface, scintillation counters have been deployed for determining the shower size and arrival direction of an air shower. From the data obtained, we estimated the cosmic ray chemical composition between 2 × 1014 eV and 2 × 1016 eV, which includes the well known spectrum's “knee”. As a method of estimation, we took the muon size fluctuation. The estimated rate of protons becomes relatively low, and that of helium nuclei increases, above an energy of 2 × 1015 eV. Also, the fraction of very heavy nuclei such as iron increases above this energy.

The morphology of anti-phase domains (APDs) formed during melt-quenching in binary and ternary Ni3Al alloys is carefully examined and the similarity with those observed in Cu3Pt during heterogeneous ordering is discussed. It is first shown that the morphology of APD in melt-quenched Ni3Al alloys often varies from fine equiaxed in the grain interior to elongated stripes towards grain boundaries. There have been similar observations by previous investigators, in which the difference in the APD morphology has been attributed the microsegregation of aluminum to provide a local difference in the order-disorder transition temperature relative to the freezing point. On the other hand, the present authors have shown that in Cu3Pt having order-disorder transition temperature, the similar elongated stripe-like APDs were formed during isothermal annealing, as a result of heterogeneous ordering, and that their growth involved grain boundary migration. Then the possibility is pointed out that APD morphology observed in melt-quenched Ni3Al would, in part, be relevant to the formation and growth processes of APDs found in Cu3Pt.

Presents a physical model of reverse short-channel effects on threshold voltage caused by lateral diffusion of the Frenkel pairs (interstitial-vacancy) induced by ion implantation in source/drain region of n-channel MOS devices. Based on the process and device simulation, it is shown that lateral diffusion of the Frenkel pairs enhances diffusion of channel dopant, and results in nonuniform lateral distribution. This phenomenon causes the threshold voltage increase in the short-channel devices. The authors extracted parameters on point-defect diffusion from the comparison of calculated results with experimental data on threshold voltage. Calculated arsenic profile in the source/drain region using those parameters shows good agreement with the experimental data measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The close agreement between simulation and experimental results both on the arsenic profile in source/drain region and threshold voltage confirms the validity of the model and extracted parameters. >

MyoD is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of muscle gene regulatory proteins that includes myogenin, myf-5, and MRF4. These proteins have been shown to heterodimerize with E2A bHLH proteins, E12/E47, and to bind to a consensus sequence known as an E-box, CANNTG, the target for transcriptional activation by these myogenic regulators. MyoD is also a phosphorylated nuclear protein that is present in muscle cells prior to the transcriptional activation of the muscle-specific genes, many of which contain E-box elements in their regulatory regions. Here we report that phosphorylated chicken MyoD, called CMD1, produced in sf9 cells using the baculovirus system, is qualitatively similar to CMD1 isolated by immunoaffinity purification from primary cultures of embryonic chick breast muscle. Functional analysis of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated CMD1 produced in sf9 cells indicates that, in the presence of magnesium, DNA binding of phosphorylated CMD1 is inhibited whereas binding in association with E12 is not affected. However, CMD1 binding alone is equally efficient when either EDTA is added in excess or dephosphorylated or bacterially expressed CMD1 is used in the assay. Our results suggest that cellular phosphorylation changes the CMD1 homodimer-heterodimer equilibrium which, in turn, modulates and/or eliminates binding site competition between CMD1 homodimers and CMD1/E-protein heterodimers in the cell.

We have searched for evidence of ultra-high energy gamma rays from the active galaxy Centaurus A in the data set of the JANZOS experiment during the period 13 October 1987 to 18 January 1992. No significant DC excess was found from this source. Excess events were found, however, in the period 14 April – 3 June 1990. The duration of the excess, 48 days, and equivalent luminosity, ~ 10 43 erg s −1 , are both similar to those measured previously for X-ray outbursts of Centaurus A. Furthermore, the events appear to exhibit the expected absorption feature at 200 TeV due to interactions with the 2.7 K background radiation, but the chance probability for the excess is at the 2% level. The equivalent time averaged flux during this period was (5.5 ± 1.5) × 10 −12 photons cm −2 s −1 at energies ≥ 110 TeV, about 20 times as large as the upper lim of steady emission, assuming a differential spectral index of −2.0. Further observations are required to confirm the result

We studied benign and malignant hepatic tumors with color Doppler sonography and arteriography in order to correlate color Doppler flow characteristics with tumor hemodynamics (vascularity, arteriovenous shunting, and portal vein involvement) shown by arteriography. We also evaluated the usefulness of color Doppler flow characteristics in discriminating between tumor types.We performed color Doppler sonography and hepatic arteriography in 58 patients with 72 hepatic lesions larger than 2.0 cm in diameter. Differences in pulsatile flow (peritumoral or intratumoral) and the highest systolic peak flow velocities reached were evaluated on color Doppler sonograms and compared with arteriographic findings.Color flow sonograms were obtained in 43 of 45 hepatocellular carcinomas, 15 of 16 cholangiocellular carcinomas or hepatic metastases, and six of 11 hemangiomas. Mixed peritumoral and intratumoral pulsatile flow was shown by arteriography in highly vascular tumors. The mean peak systolic flow velocity seen in hepatocellular carcinomas (0.52 m/sec) significantly exceeded the velocity seen in hemangiomas (0.16 m/sec), but not the velocity seen in other malignant hepatic tumors (0.51 m/sec). Six hepatocellular carcinomas, one cholangiocellular carcinoma, and two hepatic metastases with peak systolic flow velocities greater than 0.80 m/sec were each proved arteriographically to have arteriovenous shunting or portal vein involvement.Color Doppler sonography was useful for evaluating hepatic tumor hemodynamics as seen at arteriography, and peak systolic velocity may be useful in differentiating malignant hepatic tumors from hemangiomas.

We examined the effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) on pulmonary hemodynamic and transvascular fluid filtration and the conversion of big endothelin-1 (big ET-1), a precursor of ET-1, in isolated perfused rabbit lungs at constant vascular and airway pressures. Furthermore we examined whether ET-1 contributes to cyclooxygenase metabolism. The perfusate flow decreased significantly after bolus administration of 1 or 0.1 nmol of ET-1. Lung weight did not increase throughout the experimental period. Big ET-1- (1 nmol) induced decrease in the flow was slow in developing, although the maximum response was comparable to that induced by the same dose of ET-1. The concentration of bit ET-1 in the perfusate progressively decreased, while that of ET-1 increased in a time-dependent manner. Phosphoramidon, an inhibitor of metalloproteinase, suppressed the pressor effect of big ET-1 (P less than 0.01) and the increase in the concentration of ET-1 in the perfusate (P less than 0.05). The present findings provide the first evidence suggesting that the potent vasocontractile effect of big ET-1 in pulmonary circulation can be attributed to the production of ET-1 by the conversion from big ET-1 in the vascular bed. ET-1-induced perfusate flow changes were not affected by indomethacin, and the concentration of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, a metabolite of prostacyclin, did not increase after ET-1 administration.

Nanoisland films prepared by annealing thin gold films at high temperatures were imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy, and optically characterized through absorption spectroscopy. Thin gold films of effective thicknesses 2, 5 and 7 nm annealed at 500, 700 and 900 degrees C were fabricated and studied experimentally. The measured absorption characteristics in support of theoretical calculations showed that the shapes of gold islands were partial spheres. The position of the peak absorption wavelength measured with s-polarized light or at normal incidence confirmed that the island shape grew from a near-hemisphere towards a sphere with increasing annealing temperature. The SEM images confirmed that the size of islands increased from 15 nm in diameter to 40 nm in diameter as film thickness increased from 2 to 5 nm. The affect of the index of the substrate material on absorption characteristics were also studied by comparing the absorption spectra of gold island films on quartz and LaSF15 glass substrates. The use of gold nanoisland films for preparing localized surface plasmon resonance substrates was suggested as they held advantages over the gold colloid films.

Callus cultures of 18 sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) lines, two accessions of B. maritima and a B. macrocarpa accession were initiated from aseptically germinated seeds. Plant regeneration through organogenesis was obtained either on MS or B5 medium containing various concentrations and combinations of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Genotypes differed in their abilities of callus formation and regeneration: seven out of 18 sugarbeet lines, and an accession of B. maritima were capable of regenerating plantlets. Our data also indicated that 2 μM TIBA promoted morphogenesis from callus culture in the presence of 5 μM BAP.

At the Neutrino 98 conference the Super Kamiokande collaboration presented a reduction of up-going μ-like events compared to down-going μ -like events by a factor of 0.54 −0.05 +0.06 for an exposure of 33 kton-years. Also, the zenith angle distribution observed by MACRO for -1 ≤ cos Θ ≤ −0.1 does not fit well for the no oscillation expectation. On the basis of x 2 tested results (shape, absolute value), however, their claim for neutrino oscillations cannot be considered to be firmly established from the standpoint of statistical evidence.

A string of seven optical detectors deployed from a ship was used to detect the Cherenkov light from muons at ocean depths ranging from 2000 to 4000 m in intervals of {similar to}500 m. The flux and angular distributions of cosmic-ray muons were measured. An effective area for fivefold coincidences of 420 m{sup 2} for downward-going muons was achieved. The results are consistent with those derived from underground observations and theoretical calculations. The measured vertical intensity ranges from (9.84{plus minus}6.5){times}10{sup {minus}8} cm{sup {minus}2} s{sup {minus}1} sr{sup {minus}1} at 2090 m of water equivalent (mwe) to (4.57{plus minus}1.37){times}10{sup {minus}9} cm{sup {minus}2} s{sup {minus}1} sr{sup {minus}1} at 4157 mwe.

SUMMARY We have found that the pleural effusion obtained from a patient with lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) has cytotoxic activity against the patient's lung cancer cells. This finding occurred in the course of establishing a lung cancer cell line from the patient's pleural effusion. The cytotoxic factor was partially purified from the pleural effusion and characterized. It had cytotoxicity against L-929 mouse fibroblasts in the standard 18-h killing assay of tumour necrosis factor (TNF). By molecular sieving chromatography, the activity appeared at molecular weight of 50 000. This activity was completely blocked by a monoclonal antibody to TNF. From these results, we conclude that the cytotoxic factor in the pleural effusion is TNF. The concentration of TNF in the pleural effusion was 34.5 pg/ml by radioimmunoassay. In addition, we detected TNF activity and protein in two other cases of carcinomatous pleural effusion. Therefore, it would appear that in vivo TNF displays cytotoxic activity against cancer cells.

Accurate measurements of the total number of muons in an air shower are important for the discrimination of showers produced by astronomical gamma rays from those produced by protons. In order to perform this discrimination, muon detectors with a total area of about 400 m2 have been constructed in the Ohya stone mine. At ground level, scintillation detectors have been distributed for determining the total number of electrons in the air shower. The arrival direction of the air shower determined by usual timing information was examined using independent data on the arrival direction determined by muons in the shower. The angular resolution thus obtained at the shower maximum is 1.7° in the south-north plane and 2° in the east-west plane. The difference of the resolution is due to the asymmetric arrangement of scintillation detectors.

We evaluate the conversion probability for neutrinos by solving the evolution equations with a numerical method, taking into account a density distribution of the Earth, and calculate an upward-going neutrino flux ratio (νe +e)/(νμ +μ) by using the recent values of atmospheric neutrino fluxes, where the updated ratios νμ/μ and νe/e have been taken into account. It is found that the ratio, including the effect of neutrino-resonant oscillations, can well explain the Kamiokande data for = 0° and 30°, and the NUSEX and the Frejus data (averaged over ) at energies around 1 GeV, whilst the ratio with no neutrino oscillations or with the muon polarization cannot explain the measured data.

A measurement of cosmic ray muon flux was obtained at ocean depths ranging from 2 km to 4 km at 500 m intervals off the West Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. A brief description of the experiment and the results will be presented in this paper.

This paper presents an effective method for designing structures using cellular automata, representing a simple conceptual basis for the self-organization of structural systems. The method is sufficiently simple to solve topology optimization problems as pure 0-1 problems, and yet sufficiently complex to express a wide variety of complicated topologies. A local rule about birth and death of cells, that is a new idea from pheromonepsilas properties of ants, is introduced in order to search for solutions. The effectiveness of the present method is demonstrated through numerical examples of the typical topology optimization problem.