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We study the friction when rectangular blocks made from rubber, polyethylene, and silica glass are sliding on ice surfaces at different temperatures ranging from −40 to 0 °C, and sliding speeds ranging from 3 μm/s to 1 cm s−1. We consider a winter tire rubber compound both in the form of a compact block and as a foam with ∼10% void volume. We find that both rubber compounds exhibit a similar friction on ice for all studied temperatures. As in a previous study at low temperatures and low sliding speeds, we propose that an important contribution to the friction force is due to slip between the ice surface and ice fragments attached to the rubber surface. At temperatures around 0 °C (or for high enough sliding speeds), a thin pre-melted water film will occur at the rubber–ice interface, and the contribution to the friction from shearing the area of real contact is small. In this case, the dominant contribution to the friction force is due to viscoelastic deformations of the rubber by the ice asperities. The sliding friction for polyethylene (PE) and silica glass (SG) blocks on ice differs strongly from that of rubber. The friction coefficient for PE is ∼0.04−0.15 and is relatively weakly velocity dependent except close to the ice melting temperature where the friction coefficient increases toward low sliding speeds. Silica glass exhibits a similarly low friction as PE for T > −10 °C but very large friction coefficients (of order unity) at low temperatures. For both PE and SG, unless the ice track is very smooth, the friction force depends on the position x along the sliding track. This is due to bumps on the ice surface, which are sheared off by the elastically stiff PE and SG blocks, resulting in a plowing-type of contribution to the friction force. This results in friction coefficients, which locally can be very large ∼1, and visual inspection of the ice surface after the sliding acts show ice wear particles (white powder) in regions where ice bumps occur. Similar effects can be expected for rubber blocks below the rubber glass transition temperature, and the rubber is in the (elastically stiff) glassy state.

The many-to-many hub location routing problem (MMHLRP) has been attracting interest as a way to improve the efficiency of long-distance delivery. Since more commodities are delivered to urban areas than to rural areas, it is important in actual business to improve the efficiency of deliveries in which the commodities are unevenly distributed. In this work, we propose a network design algorithm utilizing customized hierarchical clustering for MMHLRP. The results of numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm reduces the total cost compared to the conventional gravity rule-based clustering algorithm when the commodities are distributed unevenly.

We study the temperature and velocity dependency of rolling friction. Steel and PMMA cylinders are rolled on sheets of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), with and without filler, and fluoroelastomer (FKM) with filler. Measurements of the rolling friction are performed for temperatures between −40 °C and 20 °C, and for velocities between 5 μm s−1 and 0.5 cm s−1. For the unfilled NBR, a smooth rolling friction master curve is obtained using the bulk viscoelastic frequency–temperature shift factor aT. For the filled rubber compounds, a small deviation from the bulk viscoelastic shift factor is observed at low temperatures. The experimental data are analyzed using an analytical theory of rolling friction. For the filled compounds, good agreement with theory is obtained when strain softening is included, which increases the rolling friction by a factor ∼2 for the filled FKM and ∼3 for the filled NBR compounds. For the unfilled NBR, the maximum of the rolling friction occurs at higher sliding speeds than predicted by the theory. We discuss the role of the adhesive (crack-opening) contribution to the rolling friction, and the role of frozen-in elastic deformations as the rubber is cooled down below the rubber glass transition temperature.

We study the influence of rubber transfer films on the sliding friction between rectangular rubber blocks and a concrete surface. We present experimental results for the friction coefficient for a rubber compound sliding on a concrete surface contaminated by another rubber compound, for two different pairs (A, B) and (C, D) of rubber compounds. For the same rubber compounds, we present theory results which illustrate the relative importance of the viscoelastic and adhesive contribution to the sliding friction. We correlate the calculated rubber friction with the nature of the observed transfer films (or wear processes). Graphical Abstract

Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B) is the enzyme that metabolizes a monoamine neurotransmitter. Recently, a PET tracer targeting MAO-B, SMBT-1, has been developed as the biomarker of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the detailed binding mode of SMBT-1 has not been clear. To clarify the binding mode of SMBT-1 on MAO-B, we performed the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of MAO-B in the outer mitochondrial membrane and the complex of MAO-B to SMBT-1, and the docking simulation of MAO-B with SMBT-1. We found that the Leu88, Leu171, Ile199, and Tyr326 around the substrate-binding site interact with SMBT-1. These hydrophobic residues mainly support the two aromatic rings of the center of SMBT-1, making the stable binding of SMBT-1.

HSP90 is one of the molecular chaperones, and it is known as an anti-cancer drug target. In the HSP90 chaperone cycle, when the ATP binds to the HSP90NTD, the HSP90 dimer forms a domain swapping in NTD. The stability of the HSP90 dimer is essential to the HSP90 chaperon cycle process. We have performed several molecular dynamics simulations of the HSP90 dimer to investigate how ATP binding and domain swapping have affected the stability. We analysed the fluctuation of critical residues for ATP binding and ATP hydrolysis in the HSP90NTD dimer conformation. As a result, we found that domain swapping is essential to the stability of the HSP90 dimer, while ATP is not so essential for the stability of the dimer conformation.

When an elastic block is squeezed in contact with a substrate the contact will in general consist of many asperity contact regions. During sliding the long-range elastic coupling between the contact regions have a big influence on the sliding dynamics: when the loading force increases the density of contact regions increases, which affects the lateral coupling between the contact region, and introduces a dependence of the friction force on the loading force. Here we present a full three-dimensional model study of the role of the elastic coupling on the friction force. The theory is applied to rubber friction, but the mechanism for the dependence of the friction coefficient on the load is relevant for non-rubber materials as well.

In0.227GaAs/GaAsN0.011 was introduced as a 1.2-eV multiple quantum well (MQW) with a flat conduction band (FCB) in which a conduction band edge of GaAsN was adjusted to be equal to that of InGaAs. This MQW was established as a candidate material for a middle absorption layer of three-junction solar cell since electron confinement was eliminated and a short electron lifetime in GaNAs was compensated by InGaAs layer. The band alignment of MQW was characterized by the power-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurement under low temperature. According to the band-anti crossing model, the FCB is possibly constructed since a small amount of incorporated N can drastically reduce the energy of the conduction band edge of GaAsN. The PL results demonstrated that In0.227GaAs/GaAsN MQW was a type-I structure when N content was below 1.1%, and became a type-II structure when N content was above 1.1%. The type-II MQW was characterized by the observation of blueshift of PL peak when increasing excitation power. This blueshift is a result of band-bending effect due to the accumulation of excited carriers at the interface between two materials, which is unique for the type-II MQW. In addition, it was observed that the activation energy estimated from the Arrhenius plot provided a minimum value in the structure with 1.1%N; the lowest activation energy indicated the weakest confinement energy of carriers in the structure. These results approved that a transition from type-I to type-II occurred when N content surpassed 1.1%, and our designed In0.227GaAs/GaAsN0.011 MQW was potentially the FCB structure.

There are two contributions to the friction force when a rubber block is sliding on a hard and rough substrate surface, namely, a contribution Fad = τf A from the area of real contact A and a viscoelastic contribution Fvisc from the pulsating forces exerted by the substrate asperities on the rubber block. Here we present experimental results obtained at different sliding speeds and temperatures, and we show that the temperature dependency of the shear stress τf, for temperatures above the rubber glass transition temperature Tg, is weaker than that of the bulk viscoelastic modulus. The physical origin of τf for T > Tg is discussed, and we propose that its temperature dependency is determined by the rubber molecule segment mobility at the sliding interface, which is higher than in the bulk because of increased free-volume effect due to the short-wavelength surface roughness. This is consistent with the often observed reduction in the glass transition temperature in nanometer-thick surface layers of glassy polymers. For temperatures T < Tg, the shear stress τf is nearly velocity independent and of similar magnitude as observed for glassy polymers such as PMMA or polyethylene. In this case, the rubber undergoes plastic deformations in the asperity contact regions and the contact area is determined by the rubber penetration hardness. For this case, we propose that the frictional shear stress is due to slip at the interface between the rubber and a transfer film adsorbed on the concrete surface. Locked until 12.6.2019 due to copyright restrictions.Published by AIP Publishing. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. The following article appeared in Journal of Chemical Physics and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5037136

It is becoming imperative to have visual capabilities for space activities. There are increasing opportunities to use visual images coupled with image processing technologies for spacecraft sensing and control. To fill this need, we have developed a small, low-cost, high-performance image acquisition and processing unit (HP-IMAP), which uses commercial off-the-shelf technologies. In 2010, the HP-IMAP was launched to monitor a deployable structure. Herein, we describe the HP-IMAP and discuss its qualification tests.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of three rapid diagnostic methods, ImmunoCard Mycoplasma kit, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) scoring system (including six parameters), for the early presumptive diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in adults. We performed three rapid diagnostic methods at the same time in four pneumonia groups: 68 cases with M. pneumoniae pneumonia, 133 cases with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia, 30 cases with Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia, and 20 cases with Legionella pneumonia. The sensitivity and specificity were 35% and 68% for ImmunoCard, 73% and 85% with HRCT, and 83% and 90% with the JRS scoring system, respectively. Among the three rapid diagnostic methods, the JRS scoring system was the most useful tool for initiating the administration of adequate antibiotic therapy for probable M. pneumoniae pneumonia. We suggest that M. pneumoniae pneumonia should be suspected when there is a correlation of more than five parameters in the JRS scoring system (99% specificity). If there is a correlation of three or four parameters in the JRS scoring system, chest computed tomography (CT) findings are helpful for the presumptive diagnosis of M. pneumoniae pneumonia.

The effect of growth temperature on the crystal quality of Ga 1− y In y N x As 1− x thin films by atomic hydrogen-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (H-MBE), and the characteristics of GaAs/Ga 1− y In y N x As 1− x heterojunction solar cells were investigated. A high growth temperature of ∼520 °C resulted in both an improved crystal quality and solar cell performance. The PL peak intensity measured for GaN 0.003 As 0.997 film was three times higher than that for the sample grown at a more conventional growth temperature of 480 °C. Furthermore, the highest electron mobility of 250 cm 2 /V s was obtained for the sample grown at 520 °C. An unoptimized p-GaAs/i–n-GaInNAs heterojunction solar cell grown by H-MBE showed a maximum quantum efficiency of 50% and good diode factor of 1.4, respectively.

An analytical tire model for cornering force (CF) and self-aligning torque (SAT) is described on the basis of the Fiala model. CF and SAT come mainly from the shear stress and sliding friction at the tread/road interface. The CF and SAT variations also change the kinetic conditions for their own generations, that is, the contact-pressure distribution, the tire-part deformation, and the relative position of the steering axis within the contact patch. The present model, the CF/SAT system model, which includes these conditional changes through the CF and SAT feedback loops, approximates the slip-angle dependence of CF and SAT with high accuracy. The inverse data analysis, that is, least-squares fittings of the measured data to the model, give some experimental information about the tread friction coefficient (the adhesive and sliding friction coefficient) and the variation in contact-pressure distribution during cornering. The CF/SAT system model, as well as the CP/SATP model in Part I, may be useful for both the tire production at tire makers and the vehicle dynamics simulation at car makers.

A new analytical tire model for cornering power (CP) and self-aligning torque power (SATP) is proposed on the basis of the Fiala model. In a pneumatic tire, the self-deformation by the transmission of force and torque is so large to influence recursively the force and torque generation during cornering. Then CP and SATP have negative feedback loops: As CP and SATP increase, the steering transmission loss by the tire self-deformation also increases to depress further increments of CP and SATP. The present model, the CP∕SATP system model, analytically describes the force and torque transmission with feedback loops by taking into account not only (i) the shear deformation of the tread rubber and (ii) the in-plane belt deflection, but also (iii) the out-of-plane sidewall rotation. As well as other practical systems with a negative feedback loop, the CP and SATP feedback stabilize the CP and SATP output level at a higher vertical load, and approximates the measured load dependence of CP and SATP with high accuracy. Although the sidewall rotation feedback by SATP has not been considered in conventional cornering studies, its contribution in recent radial tires is shown to be larger than that of belt deflection by CP. The model is applicable to not only the numerical simulation for tire design but also the inverse data analysis of the cornering test. Nonlinear least-squares fittings of the measured data to the model are excellent and give the dynamic estimates of tire-part stiffness.

A nonaqueous electrolyte solution is employed to form double layers on a poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC)-based carbon material, thereby extending the application of PVDC-based carbon to nonaqueous systems. Thermal behavior of the Npv-series, which was obtained by simple heat treatment under an inert atmosphere, and the Apv-series, which is obtained by potassium hydroxide (KOH) addition, is confirmed by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The KOH activation affect on the structure of PVDC-based carbon is shown and demonstrates a high capacitance in nonaqueous electrolyte systems. Variation of the pore size distribution on the double layer capacitance is explained on the basis of computer simulation. Carbons with different porous structures are prepared by KOH impregnation as a function of heat-treatment temperature (HTT). The effects of the porous structure on the electrochemical behavior and the capacitance of the resulting electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are investigated.

Summary The complementary DNA (cDNA) partial sequence of the bovine cathepsin-D (CTSD) precursor, procathepsin-D was determined. The bovine procathepsin-D cDNA sequence and deduced protein sequence exhibited higher homology to their counterparts in sheep than other animals. A comparison of the cDNA sequence among cattle revealed nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the encoding region and one nucleotide deletion in 3′-untranslated region. Among these SNPs, a guanine (G) to adenine (A) substitution in the pro-fragment region and a change from G to cytosine (C) in the heavy-chain region resulted in a glycine to serine and a glycine to alanine substitution, respectively. Using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism, nine different cattle breeds were screened for the presence of both polymorphisms. It was found that three Japanese beef breeds (Japanese Black, Japanese Shorthorn and Japanese Brown) and two zebu breeds (Brahman and Santa Gertrudis) contained these polymorphisms. Zusammenfassung Die komplementare DNA-Sequenz und Polymorphismen des bovinen Procathepsin-D (CTSD) Ein Teil der komplementaren DNA (cDNA) der Vorstufe des bovinen Cathepsins-D (CTSD), namlich des Procathepsin-D wurde ermittelt. Die bovine Procathepsin-D cDNA-Sequenz und die abgeleitete Proteinsequenz wiesen eine hohere Homologie zu der in Schafen auf als zu der in anderen Tieren. Ein Vergleich von cDNA-Sequenzen zwischen Rindern deckte neun Einzelnukleotid-Polymorphismen (SNPs) im codierenden Bereich und eine Nukleotiddeletion in der 3′-untranslatierten Region auf. Bei diesen SNPs fuhrte eine Substitution von Guanin (G) durch Adenin (A) im Bereich des Pro-Fragments und ein Wechsel von G zu Cytosin (C) im Bereich der schweren Kette zu einer Substitution von Glycerin durch Serin beziehungsweise von Glycin durch Alanin. Mittels PCR-Restriktionsfragment-Langenpolymorphismen (RFLP) wurden neun verschiedene Rinderrassen hinsichtlich des Vorhandenseins dieser beiden Polymorphismen gescreent. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass in drei japanischen Fleischrinderrassen (Japanese Black, Japanese Shorthorn und Japanese Brown) und in zwei Zeburassen (Brahman und Santa Gertrudis) diese Polymorphismen vorkommen.

The heat-treatment retention time effect of carbonized polyvinylidenechloride (PVDC) was investigated. Homogeneous PVDC with a crystallite size of 267 Å was used as a precursor material for an electric double-layer capacitor electrode. The P-120m material, which was heat treated for 120 min at 700 °C, shows a larger specific capacitance than any other material in this study. It shows the largest values reported up to now, reaching values as high as 100.2 F/g for a two-electrode system, which is equivalent to 400.8 F/g in a conventional three-compartment electrode system. It is difficult to distinguish the difference in the pore-size distribution by way of gas adsorption as the retention time is varied. However, the difference can be clarified using a novel method based on the analysis of transmission electron microscopy images. As the retention time for heat treatment increases, the pore size grows through the coalescence of small pores. Furthermore, a new concept for the electric double-layer capacitance is suggested on the basis of analysis of the transmission electron microscopy observations.

An analytical tire model for representing braking force is proposed, modifying the Fiala–Sakai model. The present model, in which contact pressure profile in circumferential direction is expressed using a generalized skewed-parabola, represents the measured curve of tractive braking force vs. slip rate with high accuracy. Nonlinear least-squares fitting of the model to the measured data produces the adhesive friction coefficient, the sliding friction coefficient and the braking stiffness, as well as the front-inclined contact pressure profile during braking.

Poly-vinylidenechloride (PVDC) based carbon has been used as an electrode material for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) due to novel characteristics, which inherited from the pristine PVDC. Electrochemical and morphological properties of three PVDC based carbon with different retention time from 60 min to 180 min were characterized by a conventional gas adsorption method and the image analysis using transmittance electron microscopy (TEM).

Microrecordings were performed during pallidotomy and thalamotomy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Neuronal activity in globus pallidus (GP) was in general agreement with previous studies of human and primate models of PD. Neuronal activity, where frequency of tremor appeared to oscillate independently from peripheral input, was encountered in GPi. In contrast, neuronal activity in Vim regarding frequency of firing also correlated with tremor and was passively driven by kinesthetic stimuli with a somatotopic arrangement. Pallidal lesions based on microrecording induced relative reductions of tremor, while small Vim lesions immediately alleviated tremor.Basal ganglia pathology due to dopamine depletion could generate oscillatory neuronal activity in GPi, which may cause tremor. However, peripheral feedback to the motor cortex via Vim is also significant for tremorgenesis, because Vim may be an excitatory driving source for motor cortical neurons. Thus, a Vim lesion could reduce excitability of the motor cortical neurons and abolish tremor.

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of the QuantiFERON TB-2G (QFT-2G) test in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease without a previous history of tuberculosis (TB).The study consisted of 214 patients with NTM disease who satisfied the diagnostic guidelines of the American Thoracic Society.The causative microorganism was Mycobacterium avium in 83 patients, M. intracellulare in 80, M. kansasii in 33, M. marinum in 12, M. szulgai in 3, M. abscessus in 2 and M. chelonei in 1. The positive response rate of QFT-2G test result was 2% in 163 patients with M. avium-intracellulare complex (MAIC) disease, 52% in 33 with M. kansasii disease, 58% in 12 with M. marinum disease, 33% in 3 with M. szulgai disease, 0% in two with M. abscessus disease and 0% in one with M. chelonei disease. The positivity of the QFT-2G test was 52% in patients with NTM disease, thought to be because NTM possesses common M. tuberculosis-specific antigens.Although QFT-2G may be a useful diagnostic method to differentiate TB from MAIC disease, there are several problems to be resolved before it can be used as a diagnostic method for NTM disease (M. kansasii disease), including the determination of the positive cut-off level for QFT-2G test.

In this paper, we propose an identification method of Hammerstein systems with piecewise-affine (PWA) nonlinearities. This model is useful because it has characteristics of both Hammerstein systems and hybrid systems. We employ identification method using pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) inputs for decoupling the identification of nonlinear static block with that of PWA dynamic block, and we also employ statistical clustering technique for clustering the measured data into each sub-models. The validity of the method is demonstrated through numerical simulations.

In this paper, we propose an identification method of Hammerstein systems with piecewise nonlinearities with memory, which is based on statistical technique. This model is useful because it has characteristics of both Hammerstein systems and hybrid systems. We employ an identification method using pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) inputs for decoupling the identification of nonlinear block with that of piecewise-affine (PWA) dynamic block. In addition, we also employ statistical techniques for identifying the PWA model and the hysteresis model. The validity of the method is demonstrated through numerical simulations.

We introduce a laboratory system for control researches named AcroBOX which is a 2 links underactuated manipulator of 5 D.O.F with constraints on ground, and it is a typical mechanical hybrid system whose dynamics changes according to its posture against the ground. In this paper, we consider a method to control it to upright position in 3-dimensional space. To stabilize the underactuated manipulator in 3-dimensional space, we propose a controller which is based on the idea of output zeroing controller for a similar system in a 2-dimensional space. The validity of the controller is shown by a numerical simulation. Possible applications of this work would be such as the stabilization of automatic motor bike on a tire, the stabilization of a walking robot standing on only one leg whose posture is 3-dimensionally twisted, and so on.

We have investigated the effect of growth temperature on the final crystal quality of GaInNAs solar cells in atomic hydrogen-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (H-MBE). A higher growth temperature of ~500 °C has been found to be the optimum and resulted in both improved crystal quality and solar cell performance. The photoluminescence (PL) peak intensity was one order of magnitude stronger and the electron mobility of 250 cm2/Vs was 30 % higher for GaInNAs films grown at Tsub = 520 °C than at the more conventional growth temperature of 480 °C. We have also investigated the vacancy-type defects in Ga(In) NAs films and found that the defect concentrations were as low as a LEC-GaAs substrate. Our unoptimized p-GaAs/i-n-GaInNAs heterojunction solar cell showed a maximum quantum efficiency of ~50 % and a low diode factor of 1.4.

We have investigated the characteristics of p-GaAs/i-n-Ga0.97 In0.03N0.01As0.99 heterojunction solar cells with different intrinsic layer thickness. The solar cells studied in this study were fabricated by atomic hydrogen-assisted RF-MBE on GaAs(001) substrates. With an optimized i-layer thickness of 600nm, maximum quantum efficiency of > 80% has been obtained, and the hole diffusion length in n-Ga0.97In0.03N0.01As0.99 film was ~160nm. Then we fabricated our first homojunction GaInNAs solar cells, and short-circuit current density of 14.2 mA/cm2 has been achieved

The effect of growth temperature on the crystal quality and optical properties of Ga(In)NAs films was investigated over a range of 340 ∼ 520 °C. We found that Ga(In)NAs films fabricated at lower growth temperatures generally result in an improved crystal quality. An XRD linewidth of as low as 45 arcsec was obtained for a 1 µm-thick Ga0.94In0.06N0.01As0.99 thin film grown at 380 °C. This is ∼1/2 of that grown at the conventionally-adopted growth temperature of 480 °C. After annealing, an improved optical property represented by a higher PL intensity compared to the conventional growth method (annealed, Tgrowth = 480 °C) was also obtained in the 1 µm-thick Ga0.94In0.06N0.01As0.99 thin film grown at low temperature of 380 °C.

User friendly human interfaces have received great attention recently. Our goal is to realize a natural human-machine communication environment by giving a face to the computer terminal or communication system. In order to construct such an interface, a real synthesised image in real-time is needed. In this paper, we develop a real-time media conversion system and examine the communication between the user and a virtual agent with a human face on the computer monitor.

A 49-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of a continuous high-grade fever and cough which had appeared during his stay in Indonesia. He was admitted on the same day because his laboratory data showed marked inflammatory changes and his chest radiograph revealed an infiltrative shadow in the right upper lung field. Initial treatment with beta-lactams was not effective and both his symptoms and his chest radiograph worsened. However, treatment with erythromycin clearly had an effect. Then, we carried out several tests for detection of atypical pathogens including Mycoplasma and Chlamydia. Finally, the case was diagnosed as one of Coxiella burnetii pneumonia because the DNA of C. burnetii was detected from his sera and seroconversion of C. burnetii--specific antibody was observed among paired serum samples. C. burnetii is one of the most commonly recognized pathogens among community-acquired pneumonias in Western countries, but in Japan, reports of community-acquired C. burnetii pneumonia have been rare. This difference may be due to the features of Q fever, in which there are large differences in frequency and form from country to country and among areas of the same country. Surveillance of C. burnetii pneumonia in Japan and different area will be required.

It is rare to see atopic symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis(MS). However, it has been reported that in atopic patients, particularly in patients with atopic dermatitis, a benign myelitis occasionally occurs. In the present report, three atopic patients with myelitis were studied clinically and neuroradiologically. All the patients were adult men(Case 1, 2, and 3 were 41-year-old, 31-year-old, and 34-year-old, respectively), and all of them had bronchial asthma without histories of atopic dermatitis. Their manifestations were not severe and were only numbness of upper and/or lower extremities. There was no motor weakness, ataxia, or urinary incontinence. MRI studies revealed a T2-high intensity lesion in the high cervical spinal cord in the two patients(Case 2 and 3) and a T2-high intensity lesion in the lumber spinal cord in the remaining patient(Case 1). Their clinical courses were essentially all benign and well responsive to steroid therapy. Although myelitis of these patients may be a first attack of MS, their findings appear to support a recently emerging concept of the atopic myelitis.

We report a patient with anosognosia for hemiplegia associated with a right pontine infarction. A 51-year-old woman with histories of hypertension and diabetes mellitus was admitted because of weakness of her left upper and lower extremities. On neurologic examination, she was alert and oriented without dementia. Visuospatial hemineglect was not present. Hemiparesis of her left upper and lower extremities was noted. Her brain MRIs showed a large infarction in the right pons. On admission, she could recognize her illness but was indifferent to her hemiplegia, so she said that there was not well-off for her life. Two weeks after the onset, her neurological symptoms gradually improved. Simultaneously, her interest in her hemiparesis increased. We proposed that, in the present patient, anosognosia for hemiplegia was caused by the pontine infarction. Since pontine anosognosia for hemiplegia has been rarely reported to date, it is expected that the findings of the present patient will be useful to the better understanding of mechanisms underlying anosognosia.

We report a case of pulmonary suppuration due to a mixed infection of anaerobic bacterium and Actimomyces. A 49-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of hemoptysis on March 30, 1999. A chest X-ray film showed a localized shadow in the right middle lobe, and a tumor shadow was recognized on chest CT. The anaerobic bacterium were isolated from specimens collected bronchofiberscopically. A diagnosis of pulmonary suppuration due to anaerobic bacterium was made, and treatment with sulbactam/ampicillin, followed by imipenem/cilastatin, was initiated. Although his clinical symptoms and laboratory data improved rapidly following this treatment, the abnormal finding on the chest radiographs remained, with only slight improvement. Accordingly, surgical resection of part of the right middle lobe was performed on June 29 using a video-associated thoracic surgery technique. Actinomycosis was recognized by pathological examination of the resected lesion. A revised diagnosis of pulmonary suppuration due to a mixed infection of anaerobic bacterium and Actinomyces was made. Anaerobic bacterium in the oral cavity are recognized as significant pathogens in pulmonary suppuration. In the present case, we considered anaerobic bacterium and Actinomyces aspirated from the oral cavity into the lung to have caused the pulmonary suppuration.

Pathophysiological mechanisms of major symptoms of Parkinson's disease are discussed from experiences of stereotaxic surgery. Tremor completely disappears by a lesion in the ventral intermediate nucleus(Vim) which receives proprioceptive sense from the periphery. Rigidity is alleviated by a lesion in the globus pallidus(GP) and the ventral lateral nucleus(VL) equally. Since GP projects to the prefrontal motor cortex via VL, surgery to either of those structures causes the same result. Akinesia is classified into three types: secondary akinesia, primary akinesia, and akinesia due to psychomotor dysfunction. Gradual spread of neuronal degeneration within the substantia nigra pars compacta may explain the progression of akinesia. Psychological or psychiatric disorder becomes major symptom in the late stage. Posteroventral pallidotomy may change emotional state in some cases by influencing the limbic motor circuit.

The surveillance study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tosufloxacin) and other 20 antimicrobial agents against 5,180 clinical isolates obtained from 26 medical institutions during 1998 in Japan. The resistance to fluoroquinolones was remarkable in Enterococci, methicillin-resistant staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from UTI. However, many of the common pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae including penicillin-resistant isolates, methicillin-susceptible Stahylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, the family of Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus influenzae including ampicillin-resistant isolates have been kept to be susceptible to fluoroquinolones. About 90% of P. aeruginosa isolates from RTI were susceptible to fluoroquinolones. In conclusion, the results from this surveillance study suggest that fluoroquinolones are useful in the treatment of various bacterial infections including respiratory infections.

We report a 49-year-old man who was an HTLV-I carrier with an immunodeficiency state and intracranial pyramidal tract lesion revealed by MRI. He was born in Hokkaido and was admitted to our hospital because of fluminant hepatitis. On admission, neurologic examination revealed exaggerated deep tendon reflexes including the jaw jerk; the plantar response was flexor. Laboratory examination revealed decrease in the number of lymphocytes and CD4-positive lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and CD4/CD8 ratio was consistently low, indicating the presence of cellular immunodeficiency state. Serum anti-HTLV-I antibody was markedly increased but he did not have HTLV-I associated myelopathy (HAM). He had no underlying disease which would cause immunodeficiency state such as adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) or HIV infection. We concluded that the HTLV-I carrier state induced his immunodeficiency. During the course, he developed retrobulbar neuritis. T2 weighted cranial MRI revealed high signal lesions in the bilateral corona radiata, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and the pontine base, corresponding to the location of the pyramidal tracts. His hospital course was complicated by opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cytomegalovirus infections, and meningitis, and died of multiple organ failure 7 months after the admission. Cellular immunodeficiencies in ATL patients are well known. Intracranial central nervous system (CNS) lesions in HAM patients are also mentioned. Recently coincidence of ATL and HAM in the same patients has also been reported. Asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers may have a latent immunodeficiency state and/or CNS lesions. We shall have to be alert about the presence of such carriers.

A 23-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of acute respiratory failure accompanied by high fever and severe cough. He had started smoking about 3 weeks earlier and had gradually increased the number of cigarettes he smoked each day. After the number of cigarettes reached 10 per day, the patient experienced cough with serous sputum, high fever (38 degrees C) and dyspnea. Chest X-ray films revealed diffuse, peripheral shadows predominantly in the right lung. The patient was treated with an intravenous drip infusion of antibiotics (FMOX). On the second day of hospitalization, the dyspnea and chest X-ray shadows rapidly resolved. Although the cause of respiratory failure and diffuse shadows on chest X-ray films remained unclear, the patient was discharged. However, on the day of discharge, he smoked cigarettes and experienced cough with serous sputum for a few hours the following morning. He was readmitted for evaluation. We previously reported a case of smoking-induced acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP). We suspected that the present case was AEP induced by cigarette smoking but did not perform bronchoalveolar lavage or transbronchial lung biopsy for a definitive diagnosis. Although we did perform a provocation test, the patient demonstrated no respiratory symptoms without cough and respiratory failure. Blood gas analysis and pulmonary function tests also revealed no abnormalities. However, the eosinophil count (3066/mu/l) and percentage (42%) in peripheral blood increased after the patient resumed cigarette smoking, and returned to normal ranges after smoking cessation. These results pointed to a correlation between cigarette smoking and eosinophilia. This case suggested that in some patients, AEP may be induced by cigarette smoking, but does not recur after the resumption of smoking.

We report a case of drug-induced pneumonitis caused by acetaminophen taken for headache. The patient was a 49-year-old woman who had been taking a common cold drug (Benza BlockSP) containing acetaminophen and an anti-gastritis drug for headache. Seven days after she began taking acetaminophen, fever, dry cough, and dyspnea developed. The patient was admitted to our hospital on December 6,1996. Chest X-ray films and computed tomography scans revealed ground-glass and reticulonodular opacities. All chemotherapy was discontinued under a presumptive diagnosis of drug-induced pneumonitis. Transbronchial lung biopsy specimens revealed infiltration of lymphocytes and eosinophils into the alveolar walls and interstitum, with granulomotous lesions and macrophages in the alveolar spaces. The patient's chest X-ray findings improved and her symptoms subsided after the medications were stopped. However, she was given oral prednisolone (30 mg/day) because shadows were still evident on chest X-ray films. Prednisolone was effective in removing those shadows. A lymphocyte stimulation test was positive for acetaminophen. Based on the above findings, acetaminophen-induced pneumonitis was diagnosed. To our knowledge, acetaminophen-induced pneumonitis is rare. However, when drug-induced pneumonitis is suspended, common cold drugs containing acetaminophen should be kept in mind.