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Most of the fresh carrots in Japan are domestically produced Kuroda-type and Chantenay-type hybrid cultivars. They are conical or cylindroconical, with root lengths of 16-19 cm and diameters of 4.0-5.5 cm. Uniformity of root shape, root size, and growth habits is among the most important goals in carrot breeding in Japan. At our company, Fujii Seed, Japan, breeders have continuously selected ideal and uniform carrot root shapes and sizes as well as favorite growth habits for several decades. In the present study, to examine the effect of breeding on genomic diversity, we performed double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) for our old cultivars bred around 1990, our recent cultivars, and the breeding populations at our company. The ddRAD-seq detected about 13,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among these 14 cultivars and 3 populations. In the recent cultivars, the whole genome diversity and the number of segregating sites were lower than in the old cultivars and breeding populations. Principal component analysis (PCA) also showed that the recent cultivars have more uniform genomes than the old cultivars and breeding populations. These results showed that genomic diversity within a cultivar has been diminished in recent breeding during the processes of selection for trait uniformity.

III International Symposium on Citrus Biotechnology

Hydrogen adsorption on graphene-supported metal clusters has brought much controversy due to the complex nature of the bonding between hydrogen and metal clusters. The bond types of hydrogen and graphene-supported Ti clusters are experimentally and theoretically investigated. Transmission electron microscopy shows that Ti clusters of nanometer size are formed on graphene. Thermal desorption spectroscopy captures three hydrogen desorption peaks from hydrogenated graphene-supported Ti clusters. First-principles calculations also found three types of interaction: two types of bonds with different partial ionic character and physisorption. The physical origin for this rests on the charge state of the Ti clusters: when Ti clusters are neutral, H2 is dissociated, and H forms bonds with the Ti cluster. On the contrary, H2 is adsorbed in molecular form on positively charged Ti clusters, resulting in physisorption. Thus, this work clarifies the bonding mechanisms of hydrogen on graphene-supported Ti clusters.

This paper describes the modeling of the Acrobot composed of 2 links with a curved contour and the rolling motion control for this Acrobot. The outer contour of each link is shaped from the arc whose radius is different at the tip and the sidepiece of the link. As the model changes according to the contact point between the Acrobot and ground, it is difficult to control the whole motion via common control strategy. From an intuitive analysis based on systempsilas energy when the Acrobot rolls with a certain constant relative angle, control strategy is constructed in two phases when the Acrobot rolls with lowering or raising the center of the gravity of itself. But, because the control in upward phase needs to lower the COG of the Acrobot, the collision between robot and ground becomes unavoidable. Therefore analysis at collision is also conducted. At last, by setting the output functions that can achieve the control objective in each phase and applying output zeroing control, continuous rolling motion is realized in numerical simulation.

Background and purpose: The vascular endothelium regulates vascular tone by releasing various endothelium-derived vasoactive substances to counteract excess vascular response. We investigated whether the vascular endothelium regulates vasodilatation via released endothelium-derived contracting factors (EDCFs), by examining the effect of endothelium removal on responses to periarterial nerve stimulation (PNS) and various vasodilator agents. Experimental approach: The rat mesenteric vascular bed was perfused with Krebs solution. Vasodilator responses to PNS and 5 min perfusion of vasodilator agents in preparations with endothelium were compared with those in the same preparations without endothelium. The endothelium was removed by 30 s perfusion with sodium deoxycholate. Key results: Endothelium removal significantly augmented vasodilator responses to PNS and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), isoprenaline (β-adrenoceptor agonist), SNP and 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP; cGMP analogue) but not BAY41-2272 (soluble guanylate cyclase activator). The augmentation of SNP-induced vasodilatation after denudation was much greater than that of CGRP- or isoprenaline-induced vasodilatation. In the preparations with an intact endothelium, L-NAME (nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) significantly augmented vasodilator responses to PNS and CGRP, isoprenaline, SNP and 8-Br-cGMP, but not BAY41-2272. Indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) and seratrodast (thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist), but not phosphoramidon (endothelin-1-converting enzyme inhibitor) or BQ-123 (selective endothelin type A receptor antagonists), significantly augmented vasodilator responses to PNS and CGRP, isoprenaline, SNP and BAY41-2272. Conclusion and implication: These results suggest that the endothelium in rat mesenteric arteries regulates and maintains vascular tone via counteracting not only vasoconstriction through releasing endothelium-derived relaxing factors, but also vasodilatation, in part by releasing an EDCF, thromboxane A2.

Noninvasive and quantitative method for measuring both temperature distribution near heating surface of a material and heat flux through the heating surface is presented. In the method, temperature distribution of a heated material is determined by a combined technique consisting of an ultrasonic pulse-echo measurement and an inverse analysis coupled with a one-dimensional finite difference calculation, and heat flux is then estimated from the determined temperature distribution near the heating surface. To demonstrate the feasibility of this method, an experiment with a single-side heated steel plate is carried out. Ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements are performed with the heated steel plate, and measured ultrasonic signals are used for the analysis to determine internal temperature distributions of the plate and then heat fluxes through the heating surface are determined. The temperature distributions estimated by the ultrasonic method agree well with those measured by thermocouples installed in the plate, and the validity of the heat flux estimated by the present method is also investigated. It has been observed in the experiment that heat flux through the heating surface increases rapidly just after heating starts and then decreases gradually with elapsed time.

Aromatic material extracted from the Murchison meteorite shows an absorption atλ2200 A similar to the well-known interstellar absorption feature at this wavelength. This suggests a link between interstellar grain clumps containing organics and the presolar component of carbonaceous chondrites.

In this paper, we examined the catalytic effect of 3d transition metals on hydrogen storage properties in nanostructural graphite prepared by ball milling under hydrogen atmosphere. The Fe-doped nanostructured graphite shows the most marked hydrogen storage properties among the Fe-, Co-, Ni- and Cu-catalyzed graphite systems. The absorbed hydrogen concentration reaches up to ∼4 wt% by mechanically milling for 32 h (∼7 wt% for 80 h), and two peaks of hydrogen (mass number=2) around 730 and 1050 K were observed in the thermal desorption mass spectra (TDS). The starting temperature for hydrogen desorption was ∼600 K. On the other hand, the Co-doped graphite indicates that absorbed hydrogen concentrations reaches up to ∼2 wt% by mechanically milling for 32 h. The TDS spectrum showed only a broad peak around 1100 K, but the starting point for hydrogen desorption lowered down to ∼500 K. The Ni- and Cu-doped graphites did not show any significant improvement for hydrogen storage. These results suggest that the catalytic effect on hydrogen storage properties strongly depends on the affinity of graphite and doped metals.

The effects of heat treatment on soymilk protein denaturation were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electrophoresis. Transition behavior of soymilk was studied by DSC. Three endotherms were found in DSC heating curves; the transition observed at around 70°C is attributed to the denaturation of 7S (b-conglycinin) and the transition at around 90°C is to 11S (glycinin). The denaturation temperature increased with the increasing soymilk protein content. The change of electrophoretic patterns after heat treatments indicated that soy proteins were dissociated into subunits, some of which coalesced. When the heating temperature is below their denaturation temperature, the protein fractions cannot completely be denatured even after heat exposure for extended periods of time.

Light pollution is a serious problem, not only to astronomy but also to the environment and the economy. The amount of light energy loss from Cairo has been calculated using data obtained at Kottamia Observatory in 1980 and 1995. The amount of energy loss is much greater in 1995. Comparison with a number of other world cities is given. These results show that much money is being wasted. Recommendations to overcome the problem, and the corresponding savings, are given.

For an intermetallic compound such as TiAl to be used in various components, the wear resistance is very important. Recently, plasma carburization was performed on the fully lamellar cast alloy with Ti-33.5Al-1Nb-0.5Cr-0.5Si (mass%). The induced surface layer, 3 μm in thickness, was a carbide, Ti2AlC, with a hardness that was higher than HV836 for a bearing steel AISI52100. The pin-on-disk test showed that the carburized pins possessed excellent wear resistance against the steel disk. The carburization did not cause deterioration of the tensile and fatigue properties at room temperature. Therefore, the plasma carburization is regarded as one of the promising technologies for improving the wear resistance of TiAl.

Near-α alloy, Ti 5.8Al 4.0Sn 3.5Zr 2.8Mo 0.7Nb 0.4Si 0.06C, has been developed as a forging material for high temperature structural use in aircraft turbine engines. This alloy is characterized by the addition of a large amount of Mo which improves the strength without reducing the ductility. This heat-resistant titanium-based alloy has great potential for use in jet engine applications up to 550 °C. We have considered the optimization of each manufacturing process on the production scale for compressor disk applications. The present conventional forged titanium-based disks have a single structure to optimize the balance of fatigue and creep properties. In general, it is widely known that a bi-modal structure which consists of primary α grains in a matrix of transformed β phase containing acicular α phase has the advantage of improving the fatigue strength, whereas a fully transformed β structure has the advantage of improving the creep strength. So, we investigated the possibility of producing disks with dual structure, that is the bore section and the rim section consist of a bi-modal structure and a transformed β structure respectively, for application to compressor disks of jet engines. The mechanical properties of the transition regions between the sections in the dual-structure disk were also investigated in this study.

Precipitation of a titanium silicide Ti5Si3 was found to be beneficial to improvement of the creep resistance of a fully lamellar Ti-48Al-1.5Cr cast alloy without the sacrifice of tensile properties. The addition of 0.26–0.65 mol% Si generates fine precipitates less than 200 nm in size during aging at 900 °C for 5 h. The precipitates are effective obstacles to dislocation motion and raise the stress exponents of power law creep significantly. The specific creep strength of Si-containing alloys is better than that of a conventional Ni-base cast superalloy Inconel 713C at 800 °C for 10 000 h.

In the present paper, the parametric decay instability of an extraordinary electromagnetic wave (X-wave) into an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) and an electrostatic whistler wave (W-wave) has been studied. Expressions are derived for homogeneous threshold, growth rate, and convective threshold for this instability. The relevance of the present parametric process has been pointed out to explain the generation of whistler mode radiations in the SL-2 experiment, ionospheric modification experiment, in the polar cusp region of the magnetosphere, as well as during intense electron cyclotron resonance heating in the MTX tokamak.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a forage legume and an allogamous diploid plant (2n = 14; 440 Mb). Here, we examine the 7 prometaphase chromosomes of red clover using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with ribosomal RNA sequences, pericentromeric and telomeric repeats, as well as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones. Position of hybridization signals and chromosome condensation patterns were quantified by the help of the chromosome image analysis system ver. 4.0 (CHIAS IV). Fourteen BAC clones belonging to linkage groups (LG) 1-7 hybridized to individual chromosomes 4, 2, 6, 5, 1, 7, and 3, respectively. Quantitative analysis of FISH mapping and chromosome analysis using CHIAS IV allowed us to construct a quantitative idiogram that constitutes the comprehensive chromosome map of red clover. Chromosomal positions of the 26S rDNA locus were detected at a heterozygous locus on chromosome 6 in the variety HR, and polymorphisms of rDNA loci were observed in other varieties, although chromosomal positions of some BAC clones did not vary among HR and other varieties. These results demonstrate chromosomal collinearity among allogamous red clover varieties. This integration of genetic linkage and quantitative chromosome maps should provide valuable insight into allogamous legume genetics.

The traditional belief about ethanol's mechanism of action is based on ethanol's lipophilicity and capability to penetrate and disorder lipid bilayers. This traditional belief is now being supplanted by growing evidence that ethanol has relatively selective actions on certain synaptic receptors, such as those for NMDA, serotonin, and GABA. It was recently argued that these receptor specificities are secondary to a preferential ability of ethanol to displace membrane bound water in the domains of certain receptors. The data obtained in this study are consistent with the original hypothesis: any disorganization of cellular water by ethanol will be detectable by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In particular, the relaxation times of water hydrogen protons reflect how constrained water molecules are by the macromolecules within cells. The relaxation time of “bulk” water is lengthened relative to water molecules that are under the influence of electromagnetic fields of macromolecular surfaces within cells. Here, we tested this hypothesis in living fish, which dosed themselves by swimming in water that had added ethanol. Estimates of brain alcohol at 5 min after initial exposure revealed that the brain concentration was only about 1 3 that of the water in which they were swimming. The average value of the NMR relaxation time T1, but not T2, was decreased at 5 min (when brain concentrations were on the order of 100 mM) and reached statistical significance at 10 and 30 min after initial exposure. We conclude that these NMR results add to the growing evidence that acute ethanol acts by affecting hydrogen-bonded water at membranes and macromolecular surfaces within brain cells. Changes in the organization of cellular water as well as the conformation of macromolecules in the membrane and cytoplasm seem obvious. This mechanism would seem to provide a parsimonious explanation for the high sensitivity that a variety of receptor subtypes seem to have for ethanol.

Two lectins (HOL-I and HOL-II) were isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai by affinity chromatography on a bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM)-Toyopearl and an acid-treated Sepharose 4B columns, respectively. In hemagglutination inhibition assays, GlcNAc, GalNAc, and their methyl glycosides were the most potent inhibitors among the monosaccharides tested against the HOL-I-mediated hemagglutination, suggesting that HOL-I can especially recognize the N-acetyl groups of the sugars. This N-acetyl specificity was supported by 1H NMR analyses; the highest field-shifts of the signal of the N-acetyl group among all the signals in Me beta GlcNAc were observed in 1H NMR spectra of mixtures of HOL-I and the sugar. Among the oligosaccharides tested, GlcNAc beta 1-->4(GlcNAc beta 1-->2)Man alpha 1-O(CH2)2 CH3 was the most potent inhibitor, and the inhibitory potency of the oligosaccharide was 2(4) times greater than those of GlcNAc and GalNAc. On the other hand, N-acetyllactosamine (Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc) and its analogs were the strongest inhibitors toward HOL-II-induced hemagglutination. The agglutination was completely inert to Gal beta 1-->3GlcNAc, Gal beta 1-->6GlcNAc, Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc, Gal beta 1-->4GalNAc, and Gal beta 1-->6GalNAc. Furthermore, HOL-II exhibited no binding ability to BSM, asialo-BSM, fetuin, asialofetuin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, and human transferrin. These results indicate that HOL-II strictly recognizes simple Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc unit.

The cyclic oxidation resistance of Ti-33.5 wt.%Al is excellent up to 1073 K, but beyond that the outer nodular TiO 2 layer becomes spalled with the inner protective Al 2 O 3 film from where the oxidation progresses according to a linear law. The surface of the compound is readily modified by electrolytical plating of chromium or air plasma spraying of CoNiCrAlY. Both coatings are so effective in improving the cyclic oxidation resistance of the compound that the parabolic rate constants for the coatings are comparable to those for conventional nickel-base superalloys up to 1173 K.

The high temperature air oxidation of titanium aluminide intermetallics with small additions of silicon, niobium and a combination of silicon and niobium was studied in a temperature range between 973 and 1173 K. There was less weight gain when silicon and niobium were added individually. The combination of silicon and niobium resulted in much better oxidation resistance than the individual element additions. The effects of silicon and niobium on TiAl oxidation were different. For example, TiAlSi showed a parabolic weight gain whereas TiAlNb did not. The surface oxide scale was basically composed of three layers, i.e. TiO, Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 + Al 2 O 3 from the surface inward. SiO 2 was detected in the TiO 2 + Al 2 O 3 layer. Niobium strengthened the tendency to form Al 2 O 3 in the early stage of oxidation, resulting in the formation of a continuous Al 2 O 3 layer and a dense TiO 2 + Al 2 O 3 layer.

Aromatic material extracted from the Murchison meteorite shows an absorption atλ2200 A similar to the well-known interstellar absorption feature at this wavelength. This suggests a link between interstellar grain clumps containing organics and the presolar component of carbonaceous chondrites.

After our experimental activities of several years, our telescope project to build telescopes for the detection and observation of space debris and near-earth asteroids has been approved by the Science and Technology Agency and the project was started from the fiscal year 1998. Two telescopes will be built: a 1.0 m telescope with a 3 degree field of view and position resolution of 0.2 are second to observe geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) space debris larger than 20 – 30 cm and near-earth objects (NEO) larger than 1.0 km, and a 0.5 m telescope will be used for follow-up observations of GEO and NEO and for testing observations of low earth orbit (LEO) space debris. The telescopes will be in full operation around 2001.

This paper describes the modeling of the Acrobot composed of 2 links with a curved contour and the continuous rolling motion control for this Acrobot. The outer contour of each link is shaped from the arc whose radius is different by the tip and the sidepiece of the link. The model differs according to the contact point between the Acrobot and the ground. Therefore, it is difficult to control the whole motion via common control strategy. From an intuitive analysis based on the Acrobot?s energy while the Acrobot rolls with a certain constant relative angle, control strategy is constructed in two phases. The phases are when the Acrobot rolls with lowering( downward phase) and raising(upward phase) the center of the gravity. As the control in upward phase needs to lower the COG of the Acrobot, a collision between the Acrobot and the ground becomes unavoidable. Therefore, analysis of this collision phenomenon is also conducted. At last, by selecting the output functions that can achieve the control objective at each phase and applying Output Zeroing control, continuous rolling motion is realized in numerical simulation.

A new method of pulsewidth modulation (PWM) is proposed for general use with the microcomputer-implemented inverter systems. The proposed method is based on a defined linear relationship between the successive pulsewidths of the PWM pattern. The calculation of the pulsewidths in the new method is carried out without referring to the equations of the carrier and reference waves. With this method, the PWM pattern for microcomputer controlled inverters can be composed easily by obtaining the optimum increment in successive pulsewidths of the pattern. Furthermore, the harmonic levels at the output of the linear PWM-inverter are always very low because the linear PWM pattern is selected on the basis of minimum harmonic distortion. The results of calculations and experiments show that the linear modulation method could provide an effective generalized approach for drastic minimization of harmonics in the microcomputer implemented voltage inverter.

Astronomy is an important science in understanding a human environment. However, it is thought by most politicians, economists, and members of the public that astronomy is a pure science having no contribution to daily human activities except a few matters relating to time. The Japanese government is studying a reorganisation of our school system to have 5 school days per week, instead of 6 days per week, and this July its committee made a recommendation to reduce school hours for science and set up new courses for practical computers and environmental science. I currently made a proposal. It is very difficult for most of the school pupils, who will have non-scientific jobs, to understand science courses currently taught in school, because each science is taught independently from the other sciences. Therefore, their knowledge of sciences obtained during their school period does not greatly help their understanding of global environmental problems.

Whey proteins have wide acceptance and use in many products due to their beneficial nutritional properties. To further increase the amount of whey protein isolates (WPI) that may be added to products such as extruded snacks and meats, texturization of WPI is necessary. Texturization changes the folding of globular proteins to improve interaction with other ingredients and create new functional ingredients. In this study, WPI pastes (60% solids) were extruded in a twin-screw extruder at 100 degrees C with 4 pH-adjusted water streams: acidic (pH 2.0 +/- 0.2) and alkaline (pH 12.4 +/- 0.4) streams from 2 N HCl and 2 N NaOH, respectively, and acidic (pH 2.5 +/- 0.2) and alkaline (pH 11.5 +/- 0.4) electrolyzed water streams; these were compared with WPI extruded with deionized water. The effects of water acidity on WPI solubility at pH 7, color, microstructure, Rapid Visco Analyzer pasting properties, and physical structure were determined. Alkaline conditions increased insolubility caused yellowing and increased pasting properties significantly. Acidic conditions increased solubility and decreased WPI pasting properties. Subtle structural changes occurred under acidic conditions, but were more pronounced under alkaline conditions. Overall, alkaline conditions increased denaturation in the extruded WPI resulting in stringy texturized WPI products, which could be used in meat applications.

Experimental system of IP/sup 2/ mobility management was designed and implemented in order to confirm feasibility of the protocol and identify its bottlenecks. The experimental system is based on a prototype implementation of IP/sup 2/ mobility management which runs on PC servers. Series of experiments were conducted in order to check validity of protocol sequence and impact of load status on system performance. From the feasibility tests results, it was confirmed that there was no fundamental error in IP/sup 2/ mobility management and it could interwork with other IP protocols. Throughout the bottleneck tests, degradation in performance due to limitation of the transport: mechanism was observed when the MN had relatively large number of active peers. Experimental results indicated that alternate mechanism to improve reliability of signalling messages was highly needed. From user-plane viewpoint, additional processing that is specific to IP/sup 2/ mobility management put negligible effect on the packet forwarding delay of the AR.

The 3G mobile network IMT-2000, was launched some years ago and multimedia traffic in the mobile Internet has been increasing with the growth of wireless access links. Next-generation networks need to efficiently transport huge volumes of multimedia traffic with high-quality mobility management. We have proposed an IP-based IMT network platform (IP/sup 2/) for the next-generation mobile network architecture and have studied its mobility management scheme, IP/sup 2/ mobility management protocol (IP/sup 2/MM). IP/sup 2/MM is a network-controlled mobility protocol that deploys mobility functions inside the network and conceals IP mobility from the mobile node. It is also designed to satisfy the requirements of mobile operators. In this paper, we introduce an overview of IP/sup 2/MM and show the comparative evaluation results with mobile IPv6. For the evaluation, we implemented both in our experimental system and compared their performance. The results show that IP/sup 2/MM provides better mobility performance than mobile IPv6, and we conclude that IP/sup 2/MM is an effective and feasible mobility protocol for the next-generation networks of mobile operators.

A concept for a future advanced mobile satellite communications system using a geostationary satellite is described. In the satellite of this system, a multiple spotbeam antenna, onboard beam interconnection, and millimeter-wave and Ka-band components are required. The configuration of the payloads of Japan's COMETS (Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite) for advanced mobile satellite communication experiments is also described. The transponder has an IF filter bank and a SCPC/TDM (signal-carrier-per-channel/time-dimension multiplexing) regenerative modem for beam interconnection. >

This chapter describes activities in astronomy education of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) essentially through its Commission 46 on Astronomy Education and Development and its Program Groups.

In order to develop one of key technologies for personal satellite communications, a regenerative transponder has been developed for the Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite (COMETS), allowing MM-wave and Ka-band mobile communications. This regenerative MODEM receives eight-channel SCPC continuous or packet signals at a rate of 24 or 4.8 kb/s, transmits one TDM signal with BPSK modulation, and supports special functions such as storing calls in a buffer memory. This technology allows an earth terminal with a 10-cm antenna and a 1-W power amplifier to transmit a 24 kb/s signal via COMETS in Ka-band.

A description is presented of the waveform relaxation (WR) algorithm with the virtual state formulation technique, where adaptive virtual capacitors are interposed for numerical stability. First, the authors present the virtual state relaxation (VSR) method for the stable convergent simulation of nonlinear circuits. The VSR method is applied to the WR algorithm to exploit the multirate behavior. It is shown that the method allows the use of large timestep sizes in numerical integration, and reduces the total simulation time considerably. >

Electrocardiographically (ECG) gated myocardial SPECT with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin has been used widely to assess left ventricular (LV) function. However, the accuracy of variables using ECG gated myocardial SPECT with beta-methyl-p-(123)I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) has not been well defined.Thirty-six patients (29 men, 7 women; mean age, 61.6 +/- 15.6 y) with ischemic heart disease underwent ECG gated myocardial SPECT with (123)I-BMIPP and with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin and left ventriculography (LVG) within 1 wk. LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and LV end-systolic volume (LVESV) were determined on gated SPECT using commercially available software for automatic data analysis. These volume-related items on LVG were calculated with an area-length method and were estimated by 2 independent observers to evaluate interobserver validity. The regional wall motion with these methods was assessed visually.LVEF was 41.1% +/- 12.5% on gated SPECT with (123)I-BMIPP, 44.5% +/- 13.1% on gated SPECT with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin, and 46.0% +/- 12.7% on LVG. Global LV function and regional wall motion between both gated SPECT procedures had excellent correlation (LVEF, r = 0.943; LVEDV, r = 0.934; LVESV, r = 0.952; regional wall motion, kappa = 0.92). However, the correlations of global LV function and regional wall motion between each gated SPECT and LVG were significantly lower. Gated SPECT with (123)I-BMIPP showed the same interobserver validity as gated SPECT with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin.Gated SPECT with (123)I-BMIPP provides high accuracy with regard to LV function and is sufficiently applicable for use in clinical SPECT. This technique can simultaneously reveal myocardial fatty acid metabolism and LV function, which may be useful to evaluate various cardiac diseases.

Physical states of cell-associated water in growing kidney beans was studied by NMR microscopy. 1H-NMR images indicated the changes of water amount in the individual tissues. The seed gradually reduced water and water in the tissues of the pod varied according to growth stages. Images that reflect diffusive motion provide different contrast from that of the proton images; signal intensity was maintained in the tissues containing small amounts of water and showing weak signal on the proton images. These images are related to the activity of metabolism and physiological functions. The parameter-images provided the structural information about cellular matrix, the barrier spacing of water compartments and the reduced permeability of cell-membranes surrounding the compartment, were created based on the restricted diffusion of cell-associated water. The properties of the water compartment changed with the stages of growth in individual tissues of the fruits. Two types of water compartments were detected; one had approximately 65 microm spacing and constant permeability (20-25%) throughout the stages of growth, and another had the smaller and variable spacing (approximately 35 microm), and a lower permeability. The former belongs to the seed and the mesocarp, the exocarp and the epidermis of the pod. While the latter characterizes the properties of the primary tissue in the pod, the endocarp, which increased with development of the pod then showed reduction with the decrease of water in the pod with the fruit growth.

The present investigation evaluated the clinical and microbiological effects of long-term undisturbed plaque formation on peri-implant tissues. Four mongrel dogs were used in the study. The mandibular 3rd and 4th premolars were extracted. Three months later, four Brånemark implants (BR, n = 8) or Integral implants (IN, n = 8) were placed in the edentulous area of each dog. After another 3 months, an abutment connection was performed. Plaque control regiment was maintained for 30 days until the superstructure was placed (Day 0: baseline). Then the plaque control program was terminated to allow gross plaque accumulation. Clinical, radiographical and microbiological data were recorded at the baseline, and at 90 and 180 days after the termination of the plaque control. Values for the clinical indices such as probing depth, plaque index and bleeding on probing increased at day 90 on both the implant and tooth sites, and remained unchanged at day 180. Significantly more implant sites showed bleeding on probing than did tooth sites. Neither implants nor tooth sites showed clinically significant changes in mobility. No distinct bone resorption was observed over time by radiography. In microscopic morphological observations, cocci dominated at the baseline, and decreased by day 180, while the proportion of motile bacteria increased. In a culture study, black-pigmented anaerobic rods, which consisted predominantly of Porphyromonas gingivalis-like bacteria, were consistently found from the baseline to day 180. No Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-like organisms were isolated. These results indicate that, although the long-term plaque accumulation did not cause marked periodontal destruction, the peri-implant tissue may be more susceptible to plaque accumulation than the periodontal tissue, and that teeth may serve as a reservoir for the bacterial colonization of the implant sulcus.

During the past triennium many efforts have been made by individual members and Commission 50 to keep a good observational environment, along the lines set up by the previous Commission 50 president, P. Murdin. The number of commission members is 65, which is unchanged from the previous period. Since our problems become more severe year by year and are connected directly to the activities of all observational astronomers and indirectly to those of all theoreticians, the commission should have made an effort to increase the number of active members.

Education is important to astronomers because it affects the recruitment and training of future astronomers, and because it affects the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of astronomy by taxpayers and politicians.

The process of the plasma discharge due to an electron beam is experimentally investigated. A pulse (∼540 μs) of an electron beam (0.5–1.5 keV, ≤20 mA) is injected into argon gas (5×10−5–5×10−4 Torr) in a magnetic field (50–300 G). The discharge based on a gas break down occurs cascade‐likely in time. The gas beak down with some steps is explained by the two stream instability of an electron beam‐plasma system, from the observation of the temporal evolution of the frequency spectra (0–3.0 GHz) of the instability and the measurement of the temporal plasma density and temperature.

The localization of fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 was investigated in rat brain by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody against an acidic peptide sequence of chicken fibroblast growth factor receptor-1. For raising the antisera in rabbits, we synthesized the oligopeptide EDDDDEDDSSSEEKEAD which is a highly acidic region of chicken fibroblast growth factor receptor-1. The oligopeptide was used as a haptenic antigen by conjugating with poly- l -glutamate as a carrier protein. On immunospot assay, the best antiserum was capable of detecting 15.7 pmols of both the chicken and its analogous human oligopeptides but failed to react even with up to 1 nmol of poly- l -glutamate. When rat brain homogenate was examined by Western blots, the antiserum revealed two bands with molecular weights of 145,000 and 75,000 corresponding to known sizes of the membrane-bound and secreted forms of the rat receptor, respectively. Immunohistochemistry in rat brain demonstrated that putative fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 immunoreactivity sites were present mainly in neurons but also in tanycytes and ependymal cells. Positive neurons were distributed widely in various brain regions, but were particularly abundant in such regions as the lateral hypothalamus, substantia nigra, locus coeruleus and raphe nuclei. The present study suggests that fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 is expressed preferentially in certain neuronal systems that appear to be under the influence of fibroblast growth factors in the normal brain. The result should facilitate study of the functional significance of fibroblast growth factors in these brain neurons.

Two lectins (HOL-I and HOL-II) were isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai by affinity chromatography on a bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM)-Toyopearl and an acid-treated Sepharose 4B columns, respectively. In hemagglutination inhibition assays, GlcNAc, GalNAc, and their methyl glycosides were the most potent inhibitors among the monosaccharides tested against the HOL-I-mediated hemagglutination, suggesting that HOL-I can especially recognize the N-acetyl groups of the sugars. This N-acetyl specificity was supported by 1H NMR analyses; the highest field-shifts of the signal of the N-acetyl group among all the signals in Me beta GlcNAc were observed in 1H NMR spectra of mixtures of HOL-I and the sugar. Among the oligosaccharides tested, GlcNAc beta 1--4(GlcNAc beta 1--2)Man alpha 1-O(CH2)2 CH3 was the most potent inhibitor, and the inhibitory potency of the oligosaccharide was 2(4) times greater than those of GlcNAc and GalNAc. On the other hand, N-acetyllactosamine (Gal beta 1--4GlcNAc) and its analogs were the strongest inhibitors toward HOL-II-induced hemagglutination. The agglutination was completely inert to Gal beta 1--3GlcNAc, Gal beta 1--6GlcNAc, Gal beta 1--3GalNAc, Gal beta 1--4GalNAc, and Gal beta 1--6GalNAc. Furthermore, HOL-II exhibited no binding ability to BSM, asialo-BSM, fetuin, asialofetuin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, and human transferrin. These results indicate that HOL-II strictly recognizes simple Gal beta 1--4GlcNAc unit.