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Introduction Quelque soit l’espece consideree, Cupressus sempervirens (Cups) en Europe, Cryptomeria japonica (Cryj) au Japon ou Juniperus ashei aux USA, l’allergie au pollen de Cupressacees augmente. Le pollen de Cups est implique dans les syndromes croises cypres/peche ou cypres/agrumes par les allergenes de la famille des proteines regulees par la gibberelline (GRP). L’objectif du travail est de comparer 2 groupes de jeunes patients japonais allergiques au pollen de Cryj avec (n = 22) ou sans (n = 21) allergie aux fruits et etudier l’implication de la GRP du pollen de Cryj : Cry j 7 dans les reactivites croisees pollen/fruit. Methodes Selection de groupes de patients japonais a l’hopital National Sagahamira au Japon. Analyse allergomique avec immunoblot direct et competitif, production d’allergenes recombinants et spectrometrie de masse. Un groupe 3 de jeunes patients japonais allergiques aux fruits seulement (n = 19) et un groupe 4 de patients europeens allergiques au pollen de Cups (n = 29) constituent des controles supplementaires. Resultats Cry j 7 est reconnu par 46 % des patients allergiques au pollen de Cryj et aux fruits (groupe 2) et par aucun des patients allergiques au pollen seulement (groupe 1). Cry j 7 recombinant inhibe la reactivite IgE a deux isoformes de Cry j 7 natif. Cry j 7 et Cup s 7 croisent. Un allergene acide, de faible masse, independant des sensibilisations croisees pollen/fruit est mis en evidence dans Cryj : la calmoduline. Discussion Les reactivites croisees pollen/fruits au Japon chez de jeunes enfants impliquent la peche, les agrumes et la pomme. Des GRP allergeniques ont ete decrites dans les deux premiers mais pas dans la pomme. La modelisation 3D de differentes GRP revele des structures tres semblables. En general, les differentes GRP croisent entre elles mais des differences subtiles d’affinite IgE pourraient exister. Le groupe 3 non sensibilise au pollen de cedre du Japon est allergique a des fruits differents : le kiwi et la banane. Conclusion Le syndrome croise pollen/fruit mis en evidence au Japon et impliquant une sensibilisation a Cry j 7, la GRP du pollen de Cryj est semblable a celui decrit en Europe avec Cup s 7, la GRP de pollen de Cups. Les fruits associes sont les memes.

A novel direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation method that uses subwavelength periodic structures of conductive scatterers (SPCS) is proposed. There is a possibility that scattering patterns with frequency and angular responses can be generated by using subwavelength structures on the basis of metamaterials. Therefore, the frequency and angular dependencies of scattering patterns generated by SPCS are investigated analytically and experimentally. In the analytical studies, the 2D spatial distributions of electric field intensities in SPCS are analyzed. And it is confirmed that the patterns have frequency and angular dependencies. In the experimental studies, the 1D spatial distributions of the scattering patterns in SPCS were measured, confirming the frequency and angular dependence of their spatial distribution. Thus, the proposed method has the potential for application in an advanced DOA estimation device.

Broadband tunability is a central theme in contemporary nanophotonics and metamaterials research. Combining metamaterials with phase change media offers a promising approach to achieve such tunability, which requires a comprehensive investigation of the electromagnetic responses of novel materials at subwavelength scales. In this work, we demonstrate an innovative way to tailor band-selective electromagnetic responses at the surface of a heavy fermion compound, samarium sulfide (SmS). By utilizing the intrinsic, pressure sensitive, and multi-band electron responses of SmS, we create a proof-of-principle heavy fermion metamaterial, which is fabricated and characterized using scanning near-field microscopes with, Understanding the electromagnetic responses at subwavelength scales is important for achieving tunability. Using a combination of the near-field and far-field spectroscopy, the authors demonstrate a heavy fermion metamaterial with tunable dual-band optical responses by selectively and separately modifying the 4f and 5d band electrons.

We have investigated the electronic structure of a potential thermoelectric material, higher manganese silicide, and its solid solutions with supersaturated Re by means of hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The unusual Re substitution dependence of thermoelectric properties in the higher manganese silicide, reducing the electrical resistivity without altering the Seebeck coefficient, can be explained in terms of the variation of the density of states at the Fermi level and its energy derivative. Such an electronic structure variation contributes to an improvement in the thermoelectric performance in combination with the suppressed thermal conductivity.

Summary Bruxism contributes to the development of temporomandibular disorders as well as causes dental problems. Although it is an important issue in clinical dentistry, no treatment approaches have been proven effective. This study aimed to use electromyogram (EMG) biofeedback (BF) training to improve awake bruxism (AB) and examine its effect on sleep bruxism (SB). Twelve male participants (mean age, 26·8 ± 2·5 years) with subjective symptoms of AB or a diagnosis of SB were randomly divided into BF (n = 7) and control (CO, n = 5) groups to undergo 5-h daytime and night-time EMG measurements for three consecutive weeks. EMG electrodes were placed over the temporalis muscle on the habitual masticatory side. Those in the BF group underwent BF training to remind them of the occurrence of undesirable clenching activity when excessive EMG activity of certain burst duration was generated in week 2. Then, EMGs were recorded at week 3 as the post-BF test. Those in the CO group underwent EMG measurement without any EMG BF training throughout the study period. Although the number of tonic EMG events did not show statistically significant differences among weeks 1–3 in the CO group, events in weeks 2 and 3 decreased significantly compared with those in week 1, both daytime and night-time, in the BF group (P

We prepared two kinds of ionic liquids (DEME BF4, DEME TFSI), and measured the thermal conductivity of the ionic liquids and the ac loss of the Bi-2223 tape using the ionic liquid impregnation under dc magnetic field in liquid nitrogen. As a result, the thermal conductivity of DEME BF4 is approximately twice that of the epoxy. When the mechanical loss is maximum value, the loss can be reduced about 98.5% by using the ionic liquid compared with no impregnation. We consider that the tape impregnated into the ionic liquid is effective for reducing the ac loss. These results produce fundamental data to reduce the ac loss of conduction-cooled high-temperature superconducting coils.

A self-heating parameter extraction method for a circuit simulation model is discussed based on the transient drain current measurement, by using an 18-V LDMOS as a test device. Important quantities for self-heating models, self-heating-free drain current, thermal resistance Rth, and thermal capacitance Cth are directly and simultaneously extracted from the transient current measurements. The method is efficient in improving the fitting quality in the short-time domain after switching and in guaranteeing the consistency among the extracted quantities. Based on the method, two kinds of thermal network are compared and discussed for the on-wafer measurement. It is demonstrated that the 1R1C model using the method carries fitting errors only in the narrow range of time and that the fitting errors can be removed only by adding one pair of thermal resistance and thermal capacitance which represent the thermal distribution below the device.

Epidemiological and cross-sectional studies indicate a strong association among periodontitis, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with chronic inflammation as a possible common denominator (1–5). However, the precise mechanism responsible for this association has not been established because of the difficulties in investigating a cause-and-effect relationship in human subjects. Temporal, and also cause-and-effect, relationships can be more effectively controlled in animal models to study associations between periodontitis/inflammation and diabetes. To demonstrate a causal effect of periodontitis on the development of insulin resistance (IR) and T2DM, we recently used Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats as a ligature-induced periodontitis model system (6). ZDF rats are prone to obesity as a result of the presence of a mutation in the leptin receptor, and female ZDF rats develop diabetes when provided a high-fat (HF) diet (7). We reported that periodontitis influences the onset of IR and hyperglycemia in female ZDF rats fed a HF diet, but not in rats fed a low-fat (LF) diet (6). These findings indicate that periodontitis, in combination with a HF diet, promotes the development of hyperglycemia and IR in diabetic-prone animals. However, the mechanism accounting for this effect on glucose homeostasis is currently unknown. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a pattern recognition receptor expressed by various cell types, including macrophages, hepatocytes and pancreatic β-cells (8–14). TLR4 recognizes certain bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (15), including certain LPS originating from periodontal pathogens (16–18). The activation of TLR4 by LPS results in increased signal transduction that upregulates the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β (15,19–23). Interestingly, certain fatty acids (FAs) also activate TLR4 signaling, thereby increasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines (20). There are several mechanisms by which proinflammatory cytokines induce IR. For example, TNF-α can phosphorylate insulin receptor substrate-1 and -2 on a serine residue and impair normal insulin signal transduction (24). Having demonstrated that induced periodontitis in diabetic-prone rats, in combination with a HF diet, affects plasma glucose levels (6), we now test the hypothesis that disruption of TLR4 in animals with periodontitis fed a HF diet will result in improved glucose homeostasis. We therefore induced periodontitis in mice fed a HF diet and which have a TLR4 loss-of-function (LOF) mutation rendering them resistant to stimulation with certain types of LPS and FAs via this receptor. To assess glucose homeostasis, we measured fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels and performed glucose tolerance tests. To evaluate a possible involvement of TLR4 (15) in the development of insulin resistance, and thus glucose homeostasis, we assessed insulin signaling (phosphorylation of Akt) by Western blotting (22), and measured TNF-α mRNA levels using quantitative real-time PCR in the liver, which is a major target of insulin action and plays a central role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.

Introduction: We investigated the mechanisms by which extracts of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans affect the inflammatory response in gingival epithelial cells. Methods: Human gingival cells (Ca9-22) were cultured in bacterial extracts prepared from A. actinomycetemcomitans ATCC 29522. The cells were pretreated with protease inhibitors or transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2). Results: The pretreatment of cells with serine protease inhibitors significantly inhibited A. actinomycetemcomitans extract-induced expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) at both the messenger RNA and protein levels. In addition, A. actinomycetemcomitans extract-induced IL-8 and ICAM-1 expression was significantly decreased in PAR-2/siRNA-transfected cells. Conclusions: A. actinomycetemcomitans extract-induced IL-8 and ICAM-1 expression in gingival epithelial cells is mediated by PAR-2.

金沢大学理工研究域機械工学系, A robot that simulates a number of human leg joint motions during carved turns has been developed. Each leg had six degrees of freedom like those of human athletes. An on-board computer controlled the sequence of joint angles in an open-loop mode during skiing on an artificial grass slope. The relations among joint motions, reacting forces and turn trajectory were investigated by programming various motions of the robot. At first, the effect of basic joint motions, such as abduction-adduction and flexion-extension of the hip, knee and ankle joints were investigated. Then the sequence of a top athlete's joint motions, measured in a separate study, was applied to investigate its effect on the ski turn. The human-inspired programme produced a more even force balance between the skis and also a higher-quality turn. The requirements for a successful physical model of a human skier are discussed. © 2009 International Sports Engineering Association.

Forsythide (F1) isolated from the leaves of Forsythia viridissima (Oleaceae) showed vasorelaxant effects on norepinephrine (NE)-induced contraction of rat aorta with or without endothelium. This compound did not affect contraction induced by high concentration potassium (60 mM K(+)) and phorbol 12,13-diacetate, but inhibited NE-induced contraction in the presence of nicardipine. These results demonstrated the inhibitory effects of F1 on NE-induced vasocontraction presumably due to decrease of calcium influx from extracellular area, which was induced by NE.

Embossing and restoration are utilized to improve the mechanical properties of sheet metal. By subjecting the sheet to these techniques, the section modulus of the sheet metal is increased. Moreover, strain hardening is locally introduced on the sheet. With these strengthening methods, sheet metal of thinner gage can be utilized with remarkable improvement in mechanical properties, such as strength and rigidity. In this paper, embossing and restoration process are conducted to different aluminum alloy sheets. The effects of these techniques to the yield strength, tensile strength, total elongation and bending strength of the sheets are investigated. Also, the effects of bulge height during embossing and of forming condition on these mechanical properties of formed specimens are examined. The effectiveness of these forming techniques on strengthening the sheets is likewise discussed.

A 29-year-old man presented with diplopia, dysarthria, anisocoria, oculomotor nerve paralysis, abducens nerve paralysis, right facial palsy, and spastic hemiparetic gait. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a homogenously enhanced mass in the midbrain. MRI-guided stereotactic biopsy was performed, and the histologic diagnosis was pure germinoma. The tumor disappeared after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Germinoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of midbrain lesions in young adults. MRI-guided stereotactic biopsy provided a helpful diagnostic clue in a patient with a midbrain lesion.

summary. Fibrin glue (FG) is frequently used to seal and cover the anastomoses in many operations such as cardiovascular surgery or orthopaedic surgery. However, in case of gastrointestinal surgery, anastomoses are potentially contaminated, and FG may promote bacterial growth, increasing the risk of leakage. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cryoprecipitate-derived FG (CryoFG) on bacterial growth. Bacterial growth on the CryoFG and on the commercial FG (Beriplast P®) was evaluated and compared with that on control medium. In addition, the complement activities were evaluated by heat inactivation or addition of guinea-pig complement to the experimental settings. The CryoFG inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, whereas the commercial FG had no effect. Heat inactivation of the CryoFG inhibited the bactericidal effect of CryoFG. Addition of guinea-pig complement to the heat-inactivated CryoFG could almost restore the bactericidal activity, suggesting the important role of complement. This study showed that the CryoFG preserved the complement activity, which inhibited the in vitro growth of E. coli. Therefore, we concluded that the application of the CryoFG for gastrointestinal surgical anastomoses not only would be safe but also has the advantage of reducing bacterial infection.

Wood-based materials are environment-friendly resources as they eventually decompose into carbon dioxide and water after disposal. However, there are a number of productivity and workability related problems: it takes many years for a tree to grow to a useable size, and wood materials are more difficult to process than metal and plastic materials. To overcome these problems, sequential extrusion of cryptomeria powders mixed with Japanese cypress was performed in an attempt to make long wooden rods. In sequential extrusion, the powder replenishment and short-stroke extrusion steps are alternated until the desired rods are obtained. In this process, a strong extrusion seams were required between the new powder batch and the extruded portion of the rod. A steel container with a device for controlling replenishment temperature was used to increase the bonding strength of extruded rods. The results showed that there exist an optimal replenishment pressure and temperature, and that, under these optimal conditions, long rods with the strength of natural wood can be obtained. Finally, it is found that the presence of back-pressure is key in producing sound, high-strength rods.

Numerical simulation of the blanking process of sheet metals, i.e. the formation of rollover, burnish surface and burr, is done using a rigid–plastic finite element code developed by the authors. The Jeong expression is used as a ductile fracture criterion and is linked with the simulation. The rollover length increases as the clearance between the punch and die increases, and as the n -value of the material increases. On the other hand, the burnish length increases as the clearance decreases and the n -value decreases. The burr height increases linearly with respect to the radius of the tool edge. A conventional simulation method is proposed that predicts the formed burnish length from the clearance and n -value. To confirm the results of the finite element simulation, blanking experiments were also carried out using sheet metal of 3 mm thickness under various clearances and for different materials. The experimental results show good agreement with the finite element simulation results.

Porous ceramics with a framework of aluminum borate whiskers (porous aluminum borate) were fabricated by in situ firing ceramic powder compacts, and incorporated within a Al alloy matrix by squeeze casting. The in situ technique of fabricating the porous aluminum borate is more cost-effective and safer for workers than traditional perform technique. The microstructures of the porous aluminum borate and the composites are isotropic and independent of the compacting and the casting direction. The Vickers hardness and the tensile strength of the Al alloy matrix composites increase with increasing volume fraction of porous aluminum borate from 20 to 30% or with decreasing diameter of aluminum borate whiskers from 1.2 to 0.3 μm. The tensile strengths of the composite are about 65 and 150% higher than those of unreinforced Al alloy at room temperature and 350 °C, respectively.

The aluminum borate porous ceramic with whisker-framework structure was in situ synthesized and used to manufacture aluminum matrix composites by squeeze casting. The processing technique for the reinforcement was not only non-harmful to the environment and humans, but also relatively cost-effective compared to SiC whiskers. The microstructures were observed and analyzed. The aluminum borate whiskers are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Fatigue behavior of the composites was investigated at temperatures from room temperature to 723 K. Fatigue life increased with an increase in volume fraction of aluminum borates. The fatigue life was correlated with stress and temperature. The damage mechanisms of fatigue are cracking of primary Si and the whiskers at room temperature and cavitation in the matrix at high temperatures.

Photography is often used in geological survey, mining engineering or civil engineering to measure the length or width of an object by placing another object such as a scale, a hammer or a cigarette box next to the object. But, it is difficult to place a scale nearby the object when the object is too far and high or too dangerous to get to. In this study, practical applicability of the magnification equation of lens for indirect calculation of the length of a photographed object was examined. From this study, it was found that the applicable distance for the use of the magnification equation of lens was 84 m, even when the focal length was 36mm, and that the applicable distance was more than 300 m with the lens focal length being longer than 100 mm. Moreover, falling behavior, impact load and energy of a rock fall could be calculated readily using obtained information from a photograph.

Gutting characteristics of an aluminum sheet (Al 100P–O) on an anvil by the penetration of a wedge shape punch is investigated. Numerical simulations of the cutting process are conducted using a rigid plastic finite element code developed by the authors. Various expressions of fracture initiation are used as fracture criteria and linked with the simulation. The deformation characteristics of the sheet and the cutting force are calculated in terms of nose angle and radius of the wedge shape punch. The applicability of the fracture criteria and the effects of nose angle and radius on the fracture value distribution are discussed on the basis of the calculated results. The simulation results for the various fracture criteria were almost same, except for the Glift fracture criterion. The simulation results show that the fracture value increases with punch penetration depth and the highest value appears at the edge of the punch. It is also predicted that when the punch penetration depth reaches about 80% of the sheet thickness the crack initiates at the edge of the punch. To confirm the results of the simulations, cutting experiments are carried out and the cutting mechanism is observed. The experimental results are qualitatively in good agreement with the simulation results.

Cutting of an aluminum sheet (A1100P–H12) by indentation of wedge shape punches is investigated as a process to achieve burr-free-cutting. Numerical simulations of the cutting process are done using a rigid plastic finite element code developed by the authors. The modified Cockcroft and Latham expression is used as a fracture criterion and is linked with the simulation. Stress and strain distributions at the deformation region of the sheet are calculated and compared with the fracture threshold. The effects of nose angle and radius of the wedge shape punch on the cut edge profile are discussed based on the calculated results. To confirm the results of the finite element simulations, cutting experiments are also carried out and the shape of the cut edge is observed using an optical or a scanning electron microscope. The experimental result shows that the shape of cut edge is divided into four modes depending on the wedge angle α and nose radius r of punch. When the punch of r = 0.1 mm and α = 30 degree is used a sheet is separated by cutting, while when α = 60 and 90 degree ductile fracture occurs due to the secondary tensile force induced by the wedge indentation, and when α = 120 degree brittle fracture occurs due to the excessive work hardening during compression. When the nose radius of punch is increased from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, the deformation of sheet material between upper and lower punches becomes compression rather than cutting. Therefore, when punches of r = 0.5 mm are used, the separated surface has a very thin flash. These experimental results can be explained well by the simulation results.

The number of foreign protein molecules expressed on the cell surface of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by cell surface engineering was quantitatively evaluated using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The emission from EGFP on the cell surface was affected by changes in pH. The amount of EGFP on the cell surface, displayed as alpha-agglutinin-fusion protein under control of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) promoter, was determined at the optimum pH of 7.0. The fluorometric analysis and the image analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed a similar number of molecules displayed on the cell surface, demonstrating that 10(4)-10(5) molecules of alpha-agglutinin-fused molecules per cell were expressed. Furthermore, the amount of fluorescent protein expressed on cells harboring a multicopy plasmid was three to four times higher than that on cells harboring the gene integrated into the genome.

We have studied normal-distribution-shaped Josephson tunnel junctions for STJ (superconducting tunnel junction) photon detector applications. By employing a normal-distribution function to the shape of the superconducting electrodes sidelobes of the Josephson current were entirely suppressed with a small magnetic field. This behavior was confirmed experimentally by using Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb Josephson tunnel junctions. There were no oscillatory sidelobes in the Josephson current dependence on the magnetic field. Experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical ones. The Josephson current was efficiently suppressed by an external magnetic field of about 0.5 mT at 4.2 K, which is less than one tenth that of other shaped junctions. In the experiment at 0.3 K, Fiske steps due to the resonances were not observed by suppression with a magnetic field of about 1 mT.

We have prepared Nb/sub 1-x/Ti/sub x/N (NbTiN) thin films by reactive dc magnetron sputtering without intentional heating. Superconducting properties were strongly related to sputtering conditions. Lattice parameters of NbTiN films approached that of bulk NbTiN on decreasing the N/sub 2/ mole fraction in Ar and N/sub 2/ sputtering gas mixture. The film orientation was also strongly related to the sputtering conditions such as gas pressure. NbN thin films could grow epitaxially on MgO(100) substrates and showed very smooth surfaces. We found that smooth NbTiN films could be obtained on MgO(100) substrates with an epitaxially grown NbN template layer.

In this paper we outline and apply a procedure to evaluate sound fields in a concert hall which involve scattered reflections. We adopted an experimental method and used a 1/10 scale model of the concert hall. Arrays of circular columns were placed in front of its walls to act as the scattering obstacles. The acoustic properties of the hall were measured both with and without the arrays of circular columns. Here, the quality of the scattered sound field was evaluated in terms of four orthogonal physical factors: sound pressure level (SPL), initial time-delay gap between the direct sound and the first reflection (Δt1), subsequent reverberation time (Tsub), and magnitude of the interaural cross-correlation function (IACC). The IACC at central seats near the stage and seating area near the columns were improved by the arrays of circular columns.

直腸カルチノイドは増加傾向にあり,好発部位が下部直腸という特殊性からその治療方針は慎重でなければならない.とくに腫瘍径20mm以下の病変の治療方針は各施設で模索中である.今回自験例49症例を対象に治療方針を検討した.腫瘍径5mm以下は24例,6～10mmは21例,11～20mmは3例,21mm以上が1例であった.内視鏡的切除を31例,うち外科的追加治療は11例,外科的切除は17例に施行した.内視鏡的切除は10mm以下の67%の腫瘍に行い,切除断端陽性でも摘出標本では全例腫瘍の残存を認めなかった.10mmでリンパ節転移例と16mmで肝転移例を1例認めた.治療方針としては腫瘍径10mm以下では基本的に内視鏡的切除をまず第1に考えるが,組織学的検討の結果により追加切除の必要性を考慮する.腫瘍径11mm以上では外科的切除を第1に考える.腫瘍径はひとつの目安であって,症例ごとに治療法の選択をする必要がある.

Human breast milk contains high concentrations of nitrate and nitrite in the early postpartum period. The acidification of nitrite leads to the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in the gastric lumen. NO reportedly plays an important role in adult stomachs. The objective of the present study was to determine whether NO is generated in the stomach of breastfed neonates. We examined (i) the concentrations of nitrite and nitrate in human breast milk and formula milk, according to the method based on the Griess reaction; (ii) the concentration of NO in gases collected from the lumen of the neonatal stomach; and (iii) NO generation in acidified milks in vitro, using a NO chemiluminescence analyser. We found that breast milk contained high levels of nitrite, the NO level in the stomach gas of neonates fed only breast milk peaked on days 2 to 5, and NO was present on the milk surface in vitro. These findings suggest that a high concentration of nitrite in the stomachs of breastfed neonates enables a high production of NO. We propose that breast milk is important in regulating the mucosal blood flow and gastric motility and in achieving bacteriostasis via induction of NO generation in the neonatal stomach.

In ITER, the vacuum vessel (VV) is designed to be a water cooled, double-walled toroidal structure made of 316LN stainless steel with a D-shaped cross section approximately 9 m wide and 15 m high. The design work which began at the beginning of the ITER-EDA is nearing completion by resolving the technical issues. In parallel with the design activities, the R&D program, Full-scale VV Sector Model Project, was initiated in 1995 to resolve the design and fabrication issues. The full-scale sector model corresponds to an 18° sector (9° sub-sector×2) and is being fabricated on schedule. To date, 60% of the fabrication had been completed. The fabrication of full-scale model including sector-to-sector connection will be completed by the end of 1997 and performance tests are scheduled until the end of ITER-EDA. This paper describes the latest status of the ITER VV design and the Full-scale Sector Model Project.

Resonant X-ray magnetic scattering experiments have been conducted using circularly polarized light at the Gd L 3 edge on a Fe/Gd multilayer at 300, 150, 100 and 10 K. Specular reflectivity data collected with magnetic fields applied parallel and perpendicular to the plane of scattering confirm the Fe-aligned state at 300 K and twisted states at the low temperatures. At 300 K, the Gd spins appear to be distributed with a nonuniform profile along the layer thickness direction. There are at least two distinct twisted states with different magnetic structures at 100 and 10 K.

A cDNA clone for rat MAdCAM-1 homologue was isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes by RT-PCR using primers prepared from the exon sequences of the gene isolated from a genomic library of the WKAH rat, using mouse cDNA as a probe. A 1279 bp cDNA fragment contained an open reading frame (ORF) for a protein of 394 amino acids. Homology of nucleotide sequences between the mouse and rat MAdCAM-1 ORF was 85.1% with an amino acid identity of 80.5%. The rat MAdCAM-1 had two immunoglobulin-like domains, a mucinlike domain and the third immunoglobulin-like domain with a homology to α3 domain of the rat MHC class I molecule. Northern blot analysis demonstrated transcripts in Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes but not in spleen. Organization of the gene in the rat was similar to that in the mouse, consisting of 5 exons located at about a 4 kbp genomic region.