Search

ABSTRACT: We presented a new coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) simulator by combining the numerical models that can explicitly introduce the rock fracture surfaces to reproduce the processes of changing permeability as realistically as possible. Then, the presented simulator was applied to estimate the long-term evolution in the permeability of a rock mass within a geological disposal system of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The numerical predictions showed that the time-dependent decrease in permeability was observed only within specific fractures where the geochemical creep (i.e., pressure dissolution) had been induced after disposal of HLW into disposal cavity. This permeability drop was caused by the fracture sealing due to pressure dissolution at asperity contacts in the fracture that depended on the characteristics of each fracture (fracture formation, aperture, closing stress and contact area). Overall, it was implied that the presented simulator had a possibility to reveal the detailed spatial distribution of permeability within a natural barrier during a long-term disposal period of HLW. 1. INTRODUCTION When examining the performance of the geological disposal facility of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) for preventing the migration of radionuclides, it is significantly important to numerically simulate the evolution processes of permeability within a rock mass that works as a natural barrier. During the disposal period of HLW, the convolved phenomena such as rock fracturing during excavation of disposal cavity, heat radiation from waste package, fluid-driven transport, and kinetic dissolution/precipitation of the minerals may occur within a natural barrier. The complex interactions between these phenomena, namely, coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) interactions, may bring about the change in permeability of a rock mass. Particularly, permeability distribution within a natural barrier is influenced by the transition of a rock mass from continuum to discontinuum due to the short-term rock fracturing during the excavation of the disposal cavity. In addition, subsequent occurrence of mineral reactions (e.g., pressure dissolution, free-face dissolution/precipitation) within rock fractures after disposing HLW may have non-negligible impacts on permeability evolution over the long-term. Pressure dissolution is a mineral dissolution caused at the asperity contacts within rock fractures, which may depend on compressive stress acting on a fracture plane and temperature (Yasuhara et al. (2011)). Previous work by Yasuhara et al. (2011) have shown that pressure dissolution can cause the permeability reduction of rock fractures by several orders magnitude over a long duration.

EnglishConsidering that studies on the survival and growth of native species via direct seeding in Brazilian savannas are still scarce, the present work adds information for this technique with 36 native tree species of the Cerrado biome in relation to emergence, survival and growth in the field over three years. Thus, 11,550 seeds were sown in 2,520 pits, spaced 1×1 m, in two areas of 5,000 m2 each, in an abandoned pasture area on a Neossolo Regolitico soil at Fazenda Entre Rios, Federal District, in central Brazil, to evaluate emergence, survival and growth. Each pit received from two to ten seeds of a species, without any treatment of dormancy breaking. The emergency rate was evaluated after 120 days, and the survival of the emergents after one, two and three years. In addition, its height growth was evaluated after three years. Of the 36 species, four presented between 10% and 20% emergence and four (Copaifera langsdorffii, Hymenaea courbaril, Eugenia dysenterica and Stryphnodendron adstringens) above 20% and survival >80% after one year. In this same period, 24 of the tested species presented survival rate >60%. In general, the average survival rate of individuals in the three years was low (53%). Due to the typical slow growth in height of the individuals of the Cerrado species considered (average of 10.8 cm in three years), in the recovery of similar areas, it is also important to consider the planting of other forms of life (herbaceous and shrub) of native species, perhaps even at higher densities, to occupy the soil more quickly and thus seek to compete with exotic grasses. portuguesConsiderando que estudos sobre a sobrevivencia e o crescimento das especies nativas via semeadura direta nas savanas brasileiras ainda sao escassos, este trabalho acrescenta informacoes para essa tecnica com 36 especies arboreas nativas do bioma Cerrado com relacao a emergencia, sobrevivencia e crescimento no campo ao longo de tres anos. Assim, 11.550 sementes foram semeadas em 2.520 covas, espacadas 1 × 1 m, em duas areas de 5.000 m2 cada, em area de pastagem abandonada em solo do tipo Neossolo Regolitico na Fazenda Entre Rios, Distrito Federal, Brasil. Cada cova recebeu de duas a dez sementes de uma especie, sem qualquer tratamento de quebra de dormencia. A taxa de emergencia foi avaliada apos 120 dias, e a sobrevivencia das emergentes apos um, dois e tres anos. Alem disso, seu crescimento em altura foi avaliado apos tres anos. Das 36 especies, quatro apresentaram entre 10% e 20% de emergencia e quatro (Copaifera langsdorffii, Hymenaea courbaril, Eugenia dysenterica e Stryphnodendron adstringens) acima de 20% e sobrevivencia >80%, apos um ano. Nesse mesmo periodo, 24 das especies testadas apresentaram taxa de sobrevivencia >60%. No geral, a taxa media de sobrevivencia dos individuos nos tres anos foi baixa (53%). Devido ao tipico crescimento lento em altura observado para os individuos das especies de Cerrado consideradas (media de 10,8 cm em tres anos), na recuperacao de areas similares e importante tambem levar em conta o plantio de outras formas de vida (herbaceas e arbustivas) de especies nativas, talvez ate em densidades mais elevadas, para ocupar mais rapidamente o solo e assim buscar competir com as gramineas exoticas.

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators (DBD-PAs) have been developed for active flow control devices. However, it is necessary to reduce ozone produced by DBD toward practical applications using DBD-PAs. In this study, variations of ozone concentration, flow velocity, power consumption were investigated by changing exposed electrodes of DBD-PAs. Two exposed electrode prototypes were prepared: span-type with exposed electrode width of 0.1 mm, and normal-type with width of 5 mm. It was found that span-type shows lower power consumption and higher flow velocity than that of normal-type at Vp-p = 4.0-6.0 kV. Ozone concentration of span-type higher than normal-type at Vp-p = 4.0-8.0 kV. In addition, it was confirmed that catalyst located in downstream from the exposed electrode can reduce ozone concentration between 18 and 42% without affecting the induced flow., {"references":["Roth, J. R. and Dai, X., \"Optimization of the aerodynamic plasma actuator as an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) electrical device,\" 44th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, pp. 9 - 12, 2006.","Gad-El-Hak, M., \"Flow Control,\" Cambridge University Press, 2000.","Glezer, A. and Amitay, M., \"synthetic jets,\" Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech, vol. 34, pp. 503 - 529, 2002.","Suzuki, H., Kasagi, N. and Suzuki, Y., \"Active control of an axisymmetric jet with distributed electromagnetic flap actuators,\" Exp. Fluids, vol. 36, pp. 498 - 509, 2004.","Kasagi, N., Suzuki, Y. and Fukagata, K., \"Microelectromechanical systems-based feedback control of turbulence for skin friction reduction,\" Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech, vol. 41, pp. 231 - 251, 2009.","Fukagata, K., Yamada, S. and Ishikawa, H., \"Plasma Actuators: Fundamentals and Research Trends,\" nagare, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 243 - 250, 2010.","Hagiwara, H., Ogata, S. and Segawa, T., \"Properties of Flows Induced by DBD Plasma Actuators with Fine Structural Exposed Electrodes,\" 45th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference, AIAA2014 - 2667, 2014.","Kawamoto, H. and Kobayashi, T., \"Ozone Generation in Plasma Actuator\", Transactions of the JSME B, vol.75, no. 759, pp. 2345 - 2347, 2009.","Nicole, M. H., Philippe, L., Rogerio, P., Yves, D. V. and Tommy, R., \"Electromagnetic and Ozone Emissions from Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators (RTO),\" 45th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference, AIAA2014 - 2809, 2014. \n[10]\tKriegseisa, J., Möllera, B., Grundmannb, S. and Tropea, C., \"Capacitance and Power Consumption Quantification of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Actuators,\" Journal of Electrostatics, vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 302 - 312, 2011. \n[11]\tAshpis, D. E., Laun, M. C. and Griebeler, E. L., \"Progress toward Accurate Measurements of Power Consumptions of DBD Plasma Actuators,\" 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, AIAA2012 - 0823, 2012. \n[12]\tMizuniwa, F., Sakai, K., Umino, T. and Sugawara, Y., \"Spectrophotometric determination of dissolved oxygen in water with indigo carmine,\" Analytical Chemistry, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 89 - 93, 1976. \n[13]\tMaruo, Y., Kunioka, T., Akaoka, K. and Nakamura, J., \"Development and evaluation of ozone detection paper,\" Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 135, pp. 575 - 580, 2009."]}

Summary To reveal the effects of herbicide selection on genetic diversity in the outcrossing weed species Schoenoplectus juncoides, six sulfonylurea-resistant (SU-R) and eight sulfonylurea-susceptible (SU-S) populations were analysed using 40 polymorphic inter-simple sequence repeat loci. The plants were collected from three widely separated regions: the Tohoku, Kanto and Kyushu districts of Japan. Genetic diversity values (Nei's gene diversity, h) within each SU-S population ranged from h = 0.125 to h = 0.235. The average genetic diversity within the SU-S populations was HS = 0.161, and the total genetic diversity was HT = 0.271. Although the HS of the SU-R populations (0.051) was lower than that of the SU-S populations, the HT of the SU-R populations (0.202) was comparable with that of the SU-S populations. Most of the genetic variation was found within the region for both the SU-S and SU-R populations (88% of the genetic variation respectively). Two of the SU-R populations showed relatively high genetic diversity (h = 0.117 and 0.161), which were comparable with those of the SU-S populations. In contrast, the genetic diversity within four SU-R populations was much lower (from h = 0 to 0.018) than in the SU-S populations. The results suggest that selection by sulfonylurea herbicides has decreased genetic diversity within some SU-R populations of S. juncoides. The different level of genetic diversity in the SU-R populations is most likely due to different levels of inbreeding in the populations.

Introduction: The effect of in vitro fertilization (IVF) on neurodevelopmental outcome is unclear. Probably, IVF does not affect traditional measures of neurological development in infancy, but little is known on long-term effects. Recently a new video-based instrument to evaluate neuromotor development was developed. The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) evaluates neuromotor condition in infants in terms of the quality of spontaneous motor behaviour. The IMP does not only assess traditional neuromotor domains, such as performance, symmetry and movement fluency, but also two novel domains: variation and variability. Movement variation denotes the size of the child's movement repertoire. Previous studies demonstrated that reduced movement variation is associated with early lesions of the periventricular white matter and - more generally - reflects the integrety of cortical connectivity. In addition, reduced variation during infancy is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in later life and reduced intelligence at school age. Variability denotes the child's ability to select from the repertoire of movements the strategy that suits the situation best. In this prospective, assessor-blinded cohort study, we address the question whether ovarian hyperstimulation and/or the in vitro procedure affect movement variation during infancy. Material and Methods: Singletons born following IVF with conventional controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH-IVF, n = 68), following IVF in a modified natural cycle (MNC-IVF, n = 57) and following natural conception born to subfertile couples (Sub-NC, n = 90) were assessed with the IMP at 4, 10 and 18 months. The assessment resulted in a total IMP score and 5 domain scores: variation (i.e. the size of movement repertoire), variability (i.e. the ability to select motor strategies), symmetry, fluency and performance. Primary outcome was the domain score variation. Outcome variables were analyzed with a mixed effects model. Results: The mixed model indicated an overall effect of treatment on variation (p Conclusions: The preliminary data suggest that ovarian hyperstimulation may be associated with reduced movement variation in infancy. These findings stress the need to carefully monitor neurodevelopment in IVF offspring.

Great progress has been made in the care of the pregnant woman who has diabetes. Despite this, the risk of the infant of a diabetic mother (IDM) having macrosomia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, respiratory distress syndrome, polycythemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and cardiomyopathy remains. In addition, the IDM has an increased incidence of congenital anomalies, poor neurobehavioral development, and obesity and metabolic abnormalities in later life. Fastidious attention to maternal diabetic control in both the preconceptual and pregnancy periods reduces the risk of these morbidities.

3kV, 600A 4H-SiC high-temperature flat-package diodes have been developed for use in electricity supply. They consist of a pressure contact flat package and include five 6 mm × 6 mm SiC diode chips. These flat-package diodes have a thermal resistance of 0.21 deg/W, which is ten times the silicon thermal resistance, because the SiC diode chip is smaller than a Si diode chip. In order to lower the thermal resistance, it is necessary to increase the number of SiC chips in the flat package due to the difficulty of making a large-area SiC chip. The SiC pn flat package diode can achieve the same thermal resistance value at only half the chip area. The transient thermal impedance becomes saturated at nearly 1 s. In contrast, the Si diode's transient thermal impedance is saturated at 50 s. If a short circuit current flows for 50 ms, the SiC pn flat package diode withstands greater pulse loads than the Si diode at temperatures above . For example, the SiC diode withstands 2.3 times as much energy as the Si diode at . © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 171(4): 1–7, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20978

Interleukin-1α(IL-1α) stimulates the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in odontogenic keratocyst fibroblasts. However, the signaling pathways remain obscure. In this study, we investigated IL-1αsignaling pathways that regulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in odontogenic keratocyst fibroblasts. IL-1αincreased the expression of COX-2 mRNA and protein, and PGE2 secretion in the fibroblasts. IL-1αincreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). PD-98059, SB-203580, SP-600125, and PDTC—which are inhibitors of ERK1/2, p38, JNK, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), respectively—attenuated the IL-1α-induced COX-2 mRNA expression and activated protein kinase C PGE2 secretion. IL-1α(PKC), and PKC inhibitor staurosporine inhibited IL-1α-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK, and decreased IL-1α-induced COX-2 mRNA expression. Thus, in odontogenic keratocyst fibroblasts, IL-1αmay stimulate COX-2 expression both through the PKC-dependent activation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK signaling pathways, and through the NF-κB cascade.

We examined human leucocyte antigen (HLA) gene polymorphisms in the Maonan people from southern China. HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 alleles were determined in 108 healthy unrelated Maonan individuals by the polymerase chain reaction‐Luminex method, and haplotype frequencies for HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 loci were estimated. The most frequent HLA‐A alleles were A*1101 (35.2%), A*0203 (17.6%), A*0207 (13.4%) and A*2402 (13.4%); HLA‐B alleles were B*1301(19.9%), B*1502 (14.8%), B*4601 (13.4%) and B*4001 (13.4%); HLA‐DRB1 alleles were DRB1*1202 (17.1%), DRB1*1602 (13.0%) and DRB1*1401 (10.7%). The most common haplotypes were A*0207‐B*4601 (10.6%), A*1101‐B*1301 (10.0%), A*1101‐B*4001 (8.4%), B*1502‐DRB1*1202 (12.0%), B*4601‐DRB1*1401 (5.8%), A*1101‐B*1502‐DRB1*1202 (7.1%) and A*0207‐B*4601‐DRB1*1401 (5.3%), profiles that are also found in populations from the southern region of East Asia. Phylogenetic and principal component analyses revealed that the Maonan people belong to the southeastern Asian group and are most closely related to the Buyi people.

3-kV, 600-A, 4H-SiC flat package type pn diodes have been developed and their reverse recovery characteristics have been investigated. In spite of being pn junction diodes, the developed diodes have a short reverse recovery time of 0.153µs at room temperature. These diodes have one-tenth lower recovery loss and one-third lower recovery time than those of a commercialized 2.5-kV Si diode in spite of a high blocking voltage. When this diode is used in a PWM inverter, the carrier frequency at which the on-state loss is equal to the switching loss is 1.45 times the Si diode's frequency at 398 K. By using the developed diode, high-voltage high-frequency inverter operation can be realized. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 160(1): 10–17, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20557

Objective:The aim of this study is to understand the extent of which specific characteristics of children contribute in the processes of patient safety problems in children's hospital-based medical care.Methods:Initial identification of child-specific factors was performed through literature review

A field-programmable VLSI processor (FPVLSI) is proposed based on a bit-serial pipeline architecture and a mesh network that greatly reduce complexity of a programmable interconnection network. An area-efficient shift-register-based cell is also proposed based on regularity of bit-serial operation. To minimize an inter-cell network, functionality of a programmable switch block is realized only by programming cells. Moreover, direct allocation of a control/data flow graph (CDFG) is introduced to localize data transfer. As a result, an ultra-highly-parallel cellular array is achieved that can efficiently exploit high parallelism of DSP applications. The FPVLSI is designed in a 0.18mum CMOS design rule. Its performance at 700MHz is 4.7 to 9 times higher than that of a conventional FPGA in typical applications under constraints of the same chip area and the same power consumption

Intracystic fluid pressure may have a crucial role in the growth of odontogenic jaw cysts. In this study, we investigated the relation between the size of the cyst and the pressure of the fluid within odontogenic keratocysts, dentigerous cysts, and radicular cysts. The radiolucent area of the cyst on a panoramic radiograph was linearly related to the volume in the cavity, and the correlation coefficient (gamma) was 0.70 (n = 25, P < 0.001). Intracystic fluid pressure correlated negatively with the radiolucent area in odontogenic keratocysts (gamma = -0.76, n = 9, P = 0.02), dentigerous cysts (gamma = -0.54, n = 16, P = 0.03), and radicular cysts (gamma = -0.69, n = 10, P = 0.03). The values of [(intracystic fluid pressure (mmHg)) x (radiolucent area (cm(2)))] did not differ significantly among the three types of cyst. Intracystic fluid pressure may therefore be negatively related to the size of all three types of cyst.

In the advanced tape drive systems which achieve a higher recording density, the wear of rotary heads should be decreased to obtain a higher reproduced output signal by decreasing the ‘Gap depth’ of heads, keeping enough life time. By using the heads made by two kinds of crystal directions of Mn–Zn ferrite and metal evaporated tapes with DLC coating, temperature and humidity dependences of head wear are investigated. The wear rates of both crystal direction heads increase with the decrease in temperature. The wear rate of a (110) head increases very quickly at low temperature, compared with a (100) head. These temperature dependences of head wear are caused by the temperature dependence of the elastic modulus of the tape and the temperature dependence of the friction coefficient between the tape and the head.

For isolated but multiple liver tumors, regional chemotherapy is a reasonable treatment option. Intraarterial chemotherapy can produce significantly higher response rates compared to systemic chemotherapy. Concerning patients with colorectal hepatic metastases, results from recent randomized studies, and metaanalysis of published data indicate that there is a modest but significantly better survival with intraarterial chemotherapy as compared to systemic chemotherapy. These data and strikingly improved results on isolated limb perfusion using melphalan and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) stimulated renewed interest in isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) by surgical isolation. The results of phase I and phase II studies with melphalan and TNF agree that IHP can produce high tumor response rates and long progressionfree intervals in responding patients. However, IHP requires an extensive surgical procedure, and its repetitive application in one patient is difficult. As a minimally invasive and repeatable form of IHP, percutaneous techniques of IHP (PIHP) have been developed in the past decade. In phase I and phase II trials, repetitive PIHP has proved to be effective for local control of multiple liver tumors. Its combination with reductive surgery produced spectacular local control of previously unresectable liver tumors. However, either IHP technique remains to be, as yet, a therapeutics which should only be performed on a controlled study basis.

The Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) Large Area Telescope (LAT) is a pair-production high-energy (>20 MeV) gamma-ray telescope being built by an international partnership of astrophysicists and particle physicists for a satellite launch in 2006, designed to study a wide variety of high-energy astrophysical phenomena. As part of the development effort, the collaboration has built a Balloon Flight Engineering Model (BFEM) for flight on a high-altitude scientific balloon. The BFEM is approximately the size of one of the 16 GLAST-LAT towers and contains all the components of the full instrument: plastic scintillator anticoincidence system (ACD), high-Z foil/Si strip pair-conversion tracker (TKR), CsI hodoscopic calorimeter (CAL), triggering and data acquisition electronics (DAQ), commanding system, power distribution, telemetry, real-time data display, and ground data processing system. The principal goal of the balloon flight was to demonstrate the performance of this instrument configuration under conditions similar to those expected in orbit. Results from a balloon flight from Palestine, Texas, on August 4, 2001, show that the BFEM successfully obtained gamma-ray data in this high-background environment., To be published in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol 49 Replacement to include an author who was omitted

4H-SiC carbon face flip-type n-channel implantation and epitaxial (IE)-IGBT with an epitaxial p ++ substrate was developed and its switching test was carried out. We were able to achieve an ultrahigh blocking voltage greater than 16 kV, extremely low V on (6.35 V at 20 A), and good temperature stability. The switching operation was achieved by connecting three IGBTs in parallel, with a total I CE of 60 A and V CE 5 kV. The turn-off loss and turn-on loss were about 220 mJ and 120 mJ, respectively at room temperature. They show low switching loss of ultrahigh voltage SiC IE-IGBT and the possibility of large scale module with parallel connection.

To examine the effect of the device structure on the on-state voltage (V on ), several types of ultrahigh-voltage 4H-SiC p-channel insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) were fabricated. A p-channel IGBT with a retrograde charge storage layer (CSL) and an additional JFET ion implantation region exhibited the lowest V on at 200 °C. To obtain a blocking voltage (BV) greater than 13 kV, a junction termination extension (JTE)-dose dependence of the BV was also investigated. Furthermore, ampere-class p-channel IGBTs with optimized device structures were fabricated for the evaluation of the switching loss (5 kV/1 A). Although the turn-off loss increased with an increase in the temperature, the loss remained as low as less than 10 mJ up to 250 °C. This performance renders the ultrahigh-voltage 4H-SiC p-channel IGBTs suitable for high-temperature and high-power applications.

Summary: Growing Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum was lysed by sodium ion concentrations above o'I M (maximum effect at 0.3 M). The rate of lysis depended on the age of the culture. The most rapid lysis occurred in organisms from logarithmically growing cultures which were incubated for 3 to 5 h; organisms from stationary phase cultures were completely resistant to Na+-induced lysis. Sodium ion-induced lysis was related to autolysis of the organisms and was greatly affected by pH and temperature. The optimum pH was about 6.0, and the optimum temperature 35°C. Various chemical inhibitors, including known enzyme inhibitors (such as Cu2+ and p-chloromercuribenzoate) and fixative agents (such as formalin and glutaraldehyde), inhibited the lysis, while organisms whose growth had been inhibited by antibiotics such as tetracycline, were also resistant to Na+-induced lysis. The lysate produced by Na+-treatment itself had lytic activity on isolated walls, thought to be due to its content of autolysin. About 3o to 6o min after mitomycin C treatment (which induced the production of the phage tail-like bacteriocin clostocin O), the organisms were temporarily resistant to Na+-induced lysis. However the organisms reverted to the state of high sensitivity to Na+ when clostocin O-associated endolysin was produced. We suggest that Na+-induced lysis is due to the action of wall lytic enzymes such as autolysin and clostocin O-endolysin.

Recently, y-irradiation of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) to high doses such as 1 MGy was shown by Oonishi et al. to be very effective in improving the wear resistance of UHMWPE. The present work was undertaken to characterize the UHMWPE irradiated with γ-rays and electron beams to doses ranging from 25 KGy to 5 MGy. The radical concentration was determined by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, while infrared spectroscopy was used to study the carbonyl and double bond formation on the irradiated UHMWPE. The change of the melting temperature of UHMWPE upon irradiation was examined by differential scanning calorimetry, while mechanical tests were performed to measure the compressive creep deformation, surface hardness, and tensile strength of the irradiated UHMWPE. The UHMWPE irradiated with γ-rays in air and then stored in air showed that the decrease in polymer radical concentration with time became lower with the increase in radiation dose. The decay of polymer radicals formed upon irradiation with γ-rays in N 2 gas and stored in N 2 gas was slow except for UHMWPE irradiated to 25 KGy. Irradiation with electron beams in air and the subsequent storage in air yielded a high concentration of polymer radicals, but the decay was much faster than that of γ-irradiated UHMWPE. The g-factor evaluated from the ESR spectra revealed that the polymer radicals transformed into oxidized ones during storage in air. The UHMWPE radicals formed by γ-irradiation in N 2 gas to 1-5 MGy remained almost unchanged during storage in N 2 gas. The gel fraction and the carbonyl and double bonds concentration increased with the increase in radiation dose when UHMWPE was γ-irradiated in air, while the melting temperature of UHMWPE increased upon irradiation in air, so far as a UHMWPE block, not powder, was γ-irradiated. The creep deformation decreased and surface hardness increased by γ-irradiation in air, suggesting that crosslinking was introduced into UHMWPE molecules upon irradiation to high doses. In conclusion, irradiation of UHMWPE with γ-rays and electron beams to high doses could introduce crosslinking to UHMWPE, resulting in increase in surface hardness and decrease in creep deformation. The trapped radicals in the irradiated UHMWPE decreased more quickly for electron-beam irradiation than for γ-ray irradiation.

The general characteristics of several graft-induced changes in pepper were investigated in a cross experiment. F1, F2, and BC1 progenies derived from crosses of the original stock and scion cultivars ‘Spanish Paprika’ and ‘Yatsubusa’, respectively, as well as their graft-induced variant strain G5S25 were analyzed for inheritance of the most conspicuous graft-induced variant traits. As part of a research program with the aim of revealing the mechanism of graft induction, the present study was carried out to examine the stability of the phenotypic changes and the characteristics of the graft-induced variants. For the fruit apex, a two-gene system was suggested, with other factors having a modifying influence. One of the two apex genes acted for pointed fruits and the other for inverted-blunt fruits. The inverted-blunt gene, the apex gene of the stock, was unambiguously present in the graft-induced variants, while the pointed gene that acted in the dominant mode in the original scion was inactive and expressed only under certain conditions in a mosaic state. The stable inverted-blunt cultivar used for the stock maintained certain factor(s) for pointed fruit, but the presence of that factor(s) could not be detected in graft-induced variants. The results of pungency analysis suggested a gene for non-pungency that appeared to be introduced in the graft-induced variants. The fruiting habit and fruiting direction that appeared in a mosaic state in graft-induced variants were found to combine factors of the stock with the appropriate characteristics of the scion asymmetrically. The bushy plant type appeared in a transgressive state in the variants, showing a definitely higher number of branches on the main stem and more frequent ramifications on the complete plant than on either the stock and scion cultivars or the progency derived from sexual crosses. A change in mature fruit color from red to yellow occurred in an early generation of graft-induced variants. Our results demonstrate that some of the characteristics of the stock were introduced into the progeny obtained from selfed seeds of the scion and that novel characteristics appeared as a result of graft induction.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Postoperative increase of serum transaminase levels is accepted as the most accurate marker of hepatocyte injury after hepatectomy. Vascular clamping is considered as the main factor of liver injury. However, several studies failed to establish a correlation between the postoperative serum transaminase levels and the type and duration of vascular clamping. Therefore, we prospectively evaluated sequential changes of serum transaminase levels during and after liver resection. METHODS: Between June 2003 and September 2003, 40 patients, aged 53±14 years, who underwent elective, exclusive hepatic resection on normal liver, were included in a prospective study. Major resection (>3 segments) was present in 33 (82%). Liver transection was performed in 20 patients under intermittent clamping for a mean duration of 37 min (range 15–64 min); the other 20 cases had no vascular occlusion. All patients underwent serial blood samples assessing transaminase levels (ALT) during surgical procedure, respectively before incision, before liver transection and before abdominal closure and postoperatively, respectively on days 1, 2, 5 and 7. RESULTS: The overall intraoperative measurement of ALT was respectively 31±11 before incision; 134±62 before transection and 222±117 before abdominal closure. ALT serum levels before abdominal closure were not statistically different between the two groups with and without clamping (212±101 vs 233±133). Postoperative ALT serum levels were similar between the two groups, with and without clamping, on days 1, 2, 5 and 7; respectively 289±99 vs 341±246; 227±111 vs 314±254; 127±62 vs 157±130; 73±43 vs 109±91. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that, during liver resection, serum transaminase levels start to increase early, before the parenchymal transection and that the peak on day 1 was not related to the presence of clamping. These results suggest that other factors of hepatocyte injury, such as manipulation or compression of the parenchyma, should be taken in account.

Ion beam deceleration characteristics of a newly developed high‐current, mass‐separated, low‐energy ion beam deposition system that utilizes an acceleration‐deceleration method was studied. For realizing a high current ion beam of a mA level with energies down to 10 eV, the system developed is provided with a new ion beam deceleration system consisting of three cylindrical electrodes. Computer‐simulated ion beam trajectory study indicates that ion beam convergence in the deceleration system required for suppressing the blowup of the ion beam due to the space charge effect depends on the electric potential distribution applied to these three electrodes. An Ar+ ion beam as high as 5.1 mA which is the highest ion current ever reported in the mass‐separated, low‐energy ion beam deposition system could be obtained at an ion energy of 100 eV under the optimum deceleration condition. Ion energy dependence of the Ar+ ion current at the target showing ion current decrease with the reduced ion energy was investigat...

A high-current, mass-separated low energy ion beam deposition system with dual ion sources, which utilizes acceleration-deceleration method, has been developed to create new functional materials, especially those having multi-layered structure. In this system, the maximum ion currents obtained at the ion energy of 100 eV are 5.1 mA for Ar + ions and 5.3 mA for Ca + ions. The deceleration characteristics in the high current region at the ion energy below 100 eV are described. Epitaxial growth of α-Fe film on the Si(111) substrate has been also carried out at room temperature using this system. The dependence of beam diameter on Fe + ion current and the dependence of the film quality on Fe + ion energy are discussed.

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) resulting from placental insufficiency is a common complication of pregnancy. Bilateral uterine artery ligation of the pregnant rat is a model which mimics intrauterine growth retardation in the human. IUGR rat fetuses have altered hepatic energy and redox states, with reduced fetal hepatic ATP/ADP ratio, increased cytosolic NAD+/NADH ratio, and decreased mitochondrial NAD+/NADH ratio. These critical changes in energy metabolism contribute to IUGR. The effects of these changes at the molecular level are largely unknown. To address these effects we compared hepatic mRNA populations of IUGR and normal fetuses and neonates using mRNA differential display, a polymerase chain reaction-based method for assaying transcriptional differences under various conditions. We isolated and sequenced 18 cDNA products whose mRNA levels were elevated in IUGR compared with normal fetal and neonatal liver. These analyses demonstrated that NADH-ubiquinone oxireductase subunit 4L mRNA (ND-4L) was significantly increased in liver of IUGR fetuses and neonates. This suggested that IUGR may be associated with altered expression of genes involved in the generation of ATP and NADH. Therefore, we measured mRNA levels of adenine-nucleotide translocator-2 (ANT-2), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (MMD), ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), and phosphofructokinase-2 (PFK-2) using a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction-based technique. In the IUGR fetus, ND-4L, ANT-2, G6PD, and MMD mRNA levels were significantly elevated; PFK-2 mRNA levels were unchanged, and OTC levels were decreased. In the IUGR newborn rat, mRNA levels of all 6 enzymes were increased suggesting that the metabolic state of the growth retarded newborn remains abnormal after birth. Uteroplacental insufficiency affects the immediate and long-term metabolic milieu of the growth retarded animal, and forces specific adjustments, including the expression of mRNA encoding enzymes involved with hepatic energy production.

Our purpose was to assess to what extent disturbances in antepartum maternal metabolism and perinatal complications and morbidities contribute to poorer psychomotor development in offspring of diabetic mothers.One hundred ninety-six pregnant women and their singleton offspring participated in this prospective cohort-analytic study. Ninety-five women had pregestational diabetes mellitus, and 101 women had gestational diabetes mellitus. Serial estimates of circulating maternal fuels were obtained throughout each index pregnancy along with detailed records of the perinatal course and outcome. Offspring were administered the psychomotor development index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at age 2 years and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test Of Motor Proficiency at ages 6, 8, and 9 years. Tests were performed blinded to the mother's antepartum metabolic status, and perinatal history, and the child's previous test scores. Partial correlations and analyses of covariance were used to control for other influences and confounds, such as family socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic origin, patient group (i.e., pregestational or gestational diabetes mellitus), and sex of child.Children's average score on the Bruininks-Oseretsky test at ages 6 to 9 years correlated significantly with maternal second (p0.02) and third trimester (p0.001) beta-hydroxybutyrate. There was also a borderline association between the children's scores on the psychomotor development index at age 2 years and maternal third-trimester beta-hydroxybutyrate levels (p = 0.06). No other correlations approached significance.Intrauterine metabolic experiences continue to influence the neurodevelopmental course in offspring of diabetic mothers. Prevailing practices in diabetes management and obstetric and neonatal care appear to effectively mitigate the potential long-term effects of most perinatal complications and morbidities. Management and obstetric and neonatal care appear to effectively miltigate the potential long-term effects of most perinatal complications and morbidities.

Medical nutrition therapy plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, appropriate measures of eating behaviours, such as eating rate, have not yet been clearly established. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations among eating rate, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.A total of 7,275 Japanese individuals aged ≥40 years who had normal fasting glucose levels, impaired fasting glucose or diabetes were divided into four groups according to self-reported eating rate: slow, medium, relatively fast and very fast. The associations between eating rate and various cardiovascular risk factors were investigated cross-sectionally.The proportions of participants who were obese or who had elevated waist circumference levels increased progressively with increases in eating rate (p for trend0.001), regardless of glucose tolerance status. These associations remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders, namely, age, sex, total energy intake, dietary fibre intake, current smoking, current drinking and regular exercise (p for trend0.001). Blood pressure and lipid levels also tended to increase in association with eating rate. HbA(1c) rose significantly as eating rate increased, even after multivariate adjustment, including BMI, in diabetic patients on insulin therapy (p = 0.02), whereas fasting plasma glucose did not increase significantly.Our findings suggest that eating rate is associated with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors and therefore may be a modifiable risk factor in the management of cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes.

The reliability of SiC bipolar device modules consisting of SiC commutated gate turn-off thyristors and SiC pin diodes fabricated on a 4° off-cut SiC substrate is investigated. According to three-phase inverter operation using a Back to Back system at DC bus voltage of 2 kV and effective output power of approximately 120 kW, the SiC module could achieve the world's first successful inverter operation lasting more than 1000 hours, thereby verifying its reliability in long time inverter operation.

Summary An increased risk of testicular cancer in men with infertility and poor semen quality has been reported. In view of the high cure rates for testicular germ cell tumours, increasing clinical importance is being placed on the protection of fertility. High-dose cytostatic therapy may be expected to cause long-term infertility. Thus, the standard procedure for fertility protection is the cryopreservation of ejaculated spermatozoa or testicular tissue before therapy. Four male patients with azoospermia and two patients with very severe oligozoospermia underwent onco-testicular sperm extraction (TESE). We attempted onco-TESE in patients with azoospermia and very severe oligozoospermia after orchiectomy. Of the patients with testicular germ cell tumours, four had spermatozoa in their testicular tissues. Sertoli cell-only syndrome was found in one patient, and one patient showed maturation arrest without the detection of spermatozoa. Three of six showed seminomatous germ cell tumour, two of six had nonseminomatous germ cell tumour and one patient showed no malignancy. Two patients achieved clinical pregnancy. Fertility challenges in men with cancer are the most straightforward because of the relative ease of obtaining and cryopreserving sperm. Testicular sperm extraction is a useful technique for obtaining spermatozoa before cytotoxic therapy in azoospermic and very severely oligozoospermic cancer patients.

For the first time, we observed the discrete distribution and fluctuation of active B dopants in scaled n-type MOSFETs (nFETs) and in various B-doped epilayers by the site-specific scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM). The non-uniform B distribution observed in narrow and short-channel length nFETs may be the origin of threshold voltage fluctuations in nFETs. Significant B fluctuation at doping levels less than 2×1019 cm−3 was found in Si:B and Si:B/Si:P epilayers prepared at intermediate temperatures, indicating that this phenomenon is a particular characteristic of B dopants. The B fluctuation is attributed to segregation of B dopant, which depends on thermal diffusion and occurs even under thermal equivalent conditions without structural stress. Site-specific SSRM is demonstrated to be capable of observing discrete dopants in silicon.

We mimicked the condition of severe maternal diabetes by administering high doses of streptozotocin (STZ) to the pregnant rat to determine the effects of increased glucose availability on fetal glucose transport and to assess whether a relationship might exist between glucose transport and altered fetal growth. Fetuses of STZ-treated pregnant rats were growth retarded (3.86 +/- 0.13 vs. 5.29 +/- 0.06 g), hyperglycemic (30.0 +/- 1.0 vs. 5.5 +/- 0.5 mM/liter), and hyperinsulinemic (1263.8 +/- 138.3 vs. 817.9 +/- 116.7 pM/liter). Glucose uptake, Glut 1 messenger RNA (mRNA), and Glut 1 protein were greater in STZ-treated fetal brain than in controls (50%, 83%, and 50%, respectively; P < 0.05). Glut 3 mRNA levels in STZ-treated and control fetal brain were equivalent and significantly less than levels of Glut 1. Glucose uptake in muscle of STZ fetuses was 70% greater than control values (P < 0.05). Glut 1 mRNA levels were increased by 93% in STZ fetal muscle (P < 0.05). Neither Glut 3 nor Glut 4 mRNA could be detected in STZ-treated and control fetal muscle. Glut 1 protein levels were increased by 70% in STZ-treated fetal muscle compared to control muscle (P < 0.05). These observations indicate that altered glucose transport per se does not directly contribute to fetal growth retardation with maternal STZ diabetes. Perturbations in other physiological and metabolic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of fetal growth retardation in STZ-induced diabetes during pregnancy.

A class of integral membrane glycoproteins specific to lysosomes has been identified, and they are classified into two separate groups depending on whether or not their cytoplasmic sequence contains a tyrosine residue. Lamp-1 and lamp-2 have a tyrosine-containing motif in their cytoplasmic segments, and this motif was found to direct the glycoproteins to lysosomes. Limp II glycoprotein, on the other hand, lacks a tyrosine in its cytoplasmic segment and it must be directed to lysosomes by a different signal (Fukuda, M. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 21327-21330). In order to elucidate the targeting signal of Limp II, a cDNA encoding its cytoplasmic segment was fused with a reporter molecule, a chimeric protein of human gonadotropin alpha chain-vesicular stomatitis G-protein transmembrane. After various mutations its expression was examined by immunofluorescence. First it was shown that a chimeric protein with a Limp II wild-type tail is transported to lysosomes. Deletion of the three amino acids of the cytoplasmic tail at the carboxyl terminus abolished this sorting to lysosomes. Substitution of individual amino acids revealed that the Leu-Ile motif in the Leu-Ile-Arg-Thr sequence at the carboxyl terminus is crucial to the sorting signal. When this motif was brought closer to the transmembrane domain by deletion of nine amino acids next to the transmembrane domain, this sorting function was abolished. In addition, substitution of alanine for the serine, which is at 5 residues from the transmembrane also abolished the sorting capacity, although there was no evidence that the phosphorylation of serine is involved in sorting. Altered proteins that were not transported to lysosomes were found to accumulate at the cell surface and, unlike proteins with a wild-type cytoplasmic tail, were unable to undergo endocytosis. These results indicate that the carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequence, including the Leu-Ile motif and the sequence that connects the motif to the transmembrane domain, is critical for the sorting of Limp II to lysosomes.

Forward recovery characteristics have been reported in a 5 kV class SiC pin diode used for a high frequency inverter. The 5 kV class SiC pin diode obviously has low forward voltage overshoot and an extremely small voltage shift along with a higher forward current increase rate or junction temperature as compared to the Si fast diode. The minority carrier lifetime has also been evaluated from the forward recovery characteristics, and its dependence on temperature has been investigated. Next, the relation between the minority carrier lifetime and the forward voltage drop were investigated. Even at a higher junction temperature, it was confirmed that the calculated relations between the drift region thickness and the ambipolar diffusion length approximated the best values to maintain low forward voltage drop.