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In implosion experiments of a cone-guided target using Gekko XII laser, the lasers on the cone side are not irradiated to avoid the irradiation of the cone. In such condition, the implosion process is done highly asymmetrically. Thus we evaluated the effects of the asymmetric implosion on the compression ratio of the fuel in Gekko XII irradiation orientation by three-dimensional hydro simulations. In this paper, we discuss the degradation of the compression ratio by asymmetric implosion and show that the compression ratio can be enhanced by adjusting the laser intensity between each beam to reduce the asymmetry of the implosion.

It is difficult to accurately simulate supercurrent in high-temperature superconducting bulk even by adopting the finite-element method. The equivalent electrical conductivity of high-temperature superconducting bulk, which has a strong nonlinearity according to the E-J power law, is introduced for the supercurrent analysis. However, the strong nonlinearity results in bad convergency of the nonlinear equation solvers, i.e., the Newton-Raphson (NR) method. Consequently, the unsuitable and/or undulating supercurrent is observed. Therefore, in this paper, the accuracy of the supercurrent analysis in the high-temperature superconducting bulk is discussed and a new method is proposed for the accurate high-temperature superconducting bulk simulation. Then, the method combined a line search with the NR method is adopted as a nonlinear equation solver, and the improvement of convergency and computation time are investigated

This paper reports an experimental investigation of a scheme to produce an intense, pulsed, point-like, and quasi-monoenergy neutron source. In this scheme, the inner wall of a deuterated plastic spherical cavity is mono-directionally irradiated by a 2.4 kJ laser beam through an open-tip gold cone inserted into the cavity. The whole inner wall of the cavity is illuminated by laser light owing to multiple laser reflections, and the laser-ablated plasma stagnates near the center of the cavity, at which a several keV hot spot is generated. Thermonuclear and beam D-D fusion reactions occur in the hot spot. We have demonstrated the neutron yield exceeding 107 neutrons per pulse from a

The initial growth of titanium germanosilicide on Ge/Si(1 1 1) has been investigated and the role of a Ge buffer layer has been clarified. The surface morphologies and atomic structures were observed using AFM and STM. Ti films with 0.3–3.3 nm thicknesses were deposited at room temperature (RT) or high temperature (HT). In the reaction of a thin Ti (1.7 nm) with Si, only the island-like C49 structures were formed at 650°C annealing. When the Ge buffer layer of 4 ML (0.62 nm) was added, the strip-like C54 structures were also observed. The Ge buffer layer could lower the temperature of phase transformation from C49 to C54 structures. In the case of a ultra-thin Ti (0.55 nm), C54 structures were formed on Ge/Si(1 1 1) even at 550°C annealing. When 1.7 nm Ti was deposited on the HT Ge/Si substrate (650°C), nearly all structures formed were of C54. This indicates that the ultra-thin Ti evaporation and HT methods are effective at the initial growth. It was also found that C54 growth reflects the surface of the atomic structures.

We performed positron emission tomography (PET) with 18fluorine-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) on 55 patients with tumours involving the musculoskeletal system in order to evaluate its role in operative planning. The standardised uptake value (SUV) of FDG was calculated and, to distinguish malignancies from benign lesions, the cases were divided into high (≥ 1.9) and low (< 1.9) SUV groups. The sensitivity of PET for correctly diagnosing malignancy was 100% with a specificity of 76.9% and an overall accuracy of 83.0%. The mean SUV for metastatic lesions was twice that for primary sarcomas (p < 0.0015). Our results suggest that the SUV may be useful in differentiating malignant tumours from benign lesions. However, some of the latter, such as schwannomas, had high SUVs so that biopsy or wide resection was selected as the first operation. Thus, some other quantitative analysis may be required for preoperative planning in cases of high-SUV neurogenic benign tumours. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that the RNA message of a key enzyme in glucose metabolism, phosphohexose isomerase (PHI)/autocrine motility factor, was augmented in only high FDG-uptake lesions, suggesting that a high expression of the PHI message may be associated with accumulation of FDG in musculoskeletal tumours.

To investigate both the optical and electrical properties of InN, we have measured the infrared reflectance spectra of InN thin films and performed the fitting analyses of the infrared spectra to obtain not only phonon frequencies and the damping factors but also the carrier concentration of InN. In this paper, we extend the aim of those analyses to the electron mobility and demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the electron mobility can be discussed using the infrared reflectance spectra analyses.

Micro optical reflecance measurements of InN films have been performed at middle and near infrared region. Spectrum line shape fitting calculation based on theoretical formula which takes account of the coupling between LO phonons and plasmons have been also performed. Small area reflectance spectra (50 μm × 50 μm) at every points in the field of microscope vision show both similar and different line shapes by wavenumber location. The different part is mainly responsible for plasmon relaxation time which directly correspond to the carrier mobility. Comparison among contour image map of the fitting parameters and visible image is also presented. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A new method of degenerate four-wave mixing is demonstrated. This method uses nanosecond optical pulses from an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) that has a broad bandwidth. The OPO uses a β-BaB2O4 crystal that has a coherence time from 60 to 800 fs and the OPO wavelength can be tuned from 410 to 2600 nm. This Letter also reports the signal decay time constants that correspond to the energy relaxation time constants for plasmon absorption in Au nanocrystals dispersed in Al2O3 films, for absorption in vanadyl oxophthalocyanine microcrystals dispersed in water, and for absorption in a nitrobenzene solution of 4-(N,N-diethylamino)-β-nitrostyrene.

A new approach is applied to the analyses of thermal effects in ARXPS (photoelectron diffraction) spectra, where we include both spherical wave correction and anharmonic vibration effects. A partial summation technique is applied to get a plane wave part and a spherical wave part(dynamical spherical wave effect ). Numerical calculations illustrate the importance of the spherical wave effects in high energy ARXPS spectra. In particular the spherical wave effects play an important role in the small-angle scatterings which predominate in the ARXPS processes. In comparison with the dynamical spherical wave effects in EXAFS those in ARXPS only reduce the intensities whereas the phase is unchanged.

In the implosion phase of the fast ignition scheme, most critical issues are breakup of the cone tip and the formation of high -R core plasma to improve its heating efficiency. For the integrated fast ignition experiment at ILE Osaka University, robust and reliable implosion must be redesign. In this paper, feasible target design under the constraint condition of existing GXII and LFEX facilities is studied using two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations, and an optimum target design based on low velocity implosion is proposed. The advantages of low velocity implosion are low adiabat, robust against Rayleigh- Taylor instability, which are verified. Also longer life time of compressed core plasma which is preferable for fast ignition is confirmed in this study.

In this work we have applied a new approach developed by us to the analyses of thermal effects in ARXPS spectra, where we include both spherical wave correction and anharmonic vibration effects based on Brouder's Lie group formulas. We apply partial summation technique to get a plane wave part which does not disappear even for large kR limit, and a spherical wave part which disappears for that limit. Numerical calculations illustrate the spherical wave effects in ARXPS spectra.

In direct drive laser fusion, the non-uniformity of the laser absorption on the target surface caused by the irradiation of a finite number of laser beams is a sever problem. GekkoXII laser at Osaka University has twelve laser beams and is irradiated to the target with a dodecahedron orientation, in which the distribution of the laser absorption on the target surface becomes non-uniform. Furthermore, in the case of a cone-guided target, the laser irradiation orientation is more limited. In this paper, we conducted implosion simulations of the cone- guided target based on GekkoXII irradiation orientation and compared the case of using the twelve beams and nine beams where the three beams irradiating the cone region are cut. The implosion simulations were conducted by a three-dimensional pure hydro code.

Uniformity and arrangement of Ge quantum dots were investigated on B-reconstructed surface of Si(111). B coverage was varied from 0 to 0.35 ML on the Si(111) 7×7 surface, and Ge dots were formed after formation of B-reconstructed surface. 8 ML Ge was deposited on this surface and annealed at 500 °C. The size and density of Ge dots was analyzed with TEM and AFM. Optical properties of Ge dots were investigated by Photoluminescence (PL) measurement. When there was no B coverage, the lateral size and height of Ge dots were 50 and 10 nm, respectively, without uniform distribution. When an ordered √3×√3 R30°-B surface was formed, quite uniform Ge dots were formed with 35 nm lateral size and 7 nm in height, with an obvious array in one direction. Moreover, a strong PL spectrum was observed from these Ge dots at 4 K.

Reflux esophagitis (RE) is a known complication disturbing patients' quality of life after esophageal resection. It is generally recognized that bile reflux as well as acid reflux cause RE. However, the clinical influence of acid and bile reflux, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection on RE in the cervical esophagus after esophagectomy is not yet clarified. Sixty patients who underwent cervical esophagogastrostomy following esophagectomy were enrolled in this study. They underwent examination for H. pylori infection, endoscopic examination, and continuous 24-hour pH and bilirubin monitoring, at 1 month after surgery. The influence of acid and/or bile reflux, H. pylori infection, and others on the development of RE were investigated. RE was observed in 19 patients (32%) at 1 month after esophagogastrostomy, mild RE in 16 (27%), and severe RE in 3 (5%). The percentage of time duration of both acid and bile reflux into the cervical esophagus was higher in patients with RE than in those without (P = 0.027, P0.001). A significant difference in %time pH4 acid reflux was found between mild RE and severe RE (P = 0.014), and a statistical difference in %time abs.0.14 between non-RE and mild RE (P = 0.017). Acid and/or bile reflux was observed in 31 patients (52%), acid-only reflux in 6 (10%), bile-only reflux in 15 (25%), and acid-and-bile reflux in 10 (17%). Severe RE was observed only in patients having acid-and-bile reflux. On the univariate analysis, no infection of H. pylori, acid reflux, and bile reflux were determined to be the influencing factors to RE among the clinical factors including age, gender, route of esophageal reconstruction, H. pylori infection, and acid-and-bile reflux. In the subanalysis using the logistic model, there were significant correlations between bile reflux and RE irrespective of the presence of H. pylori infection (P = 0.016, P = 0.007). On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between acid reflux and RE only in patients without H. pylori infection (P = 0.039). In the early period after esophagogastrostomy, bile reflux could cause RE irrespective of H. pylori infection, while acid reflex could cause RE only in patients without H. pylori infection. There is a possibility that bile reflux plays an important role in the development of RE after esophagectomy.

A total of 91 specimens of surgically resected tumors from 80 patients with gastric cancer were assayed for chemosensitivity using an adhesive tumor cell culture system (Life Trac ATCCS assay). Seventy-eight specimens of 91 had sufficient number of cells to grow in culture and 64 (82%) were evaluable excluding 8 low growth and 6 fungus contaminations. Cells (3x10(3)/ml/well) were cultured for 14 days and exposed to drugs on days 3-8. The growing cells were confirmed as cancer cells by immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibody to cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen and vimentin. IC90 value against (ADM, CDDP, CPM, 5-FU, MMC, MTX, VP-16, CBDCA and MMC+5-FU+MTX) was determined and population distribution of IC90 for each drug was obtained to serve as basic data for judging sensitivity. The 10th percentile of IC90 (mug/ml) was 0.01, 0.43, 1.23, 0.23, 0.01, 0.005, 0.14, 1.56 and 0.009+0.05+0.003 and median of IC90 was 0.02, 0.99, 2.31, 0.30, 0.06, 0.01, 0.39, 3.19 and 0.02+0.10+0.005, respectively. Population distribution of IC90 against each drug showed a specific pattern. Profiles of IC90 against various anticancer drugs differed in individual patients. Chemosensitivity of lymph node metatases seemed to be more resistant than that of their primary tumors. The ATTCS test was found to be useful as a sensitivity test for anti-cancer agents because of its reliability and excellent quantification.

The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing acidity in the gastric conduit after esophagectomy for cancer. Acidity and bile reflux in the stomach and in the gastric conduit were examined by 24-h pH monitoring and bilimetry in 40 patients who underwent transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy followed by esophageal reconstruction using a gastric conduit, which was pulled up to the neck through a posterior mediastinal route in 17 patients, through a retrosternal route in 10 patients, and through a subcutaneous route in 13 patients. They were examined at 1 week before surgery, at 1 month after surgery, and at 1 year after surgery. Helicobacter pylori infection was examined pathologically and using the (13) C-urea breath test. The factors influencing acidity of the gastric conduit were analyzed using the stepwise regression model. Gastric acidity assessed by percentage (%) time of pH4 was reduced after surgery and was significantly less in patients with H. pylori infection compared with those without H. pylori infection throughout the period from 1 week before surgery to 1 year after surgery. Duodenogastric reflux (DGR) assessed by % time absorbance0.14 into the lower portion of the gastric conduit was significantly increased after surgery throughout the period from 1 month after surgery to 1 year after surgery. Multivariate analysis showed that the acidity in the gastric conduit was influenced by H. pylori infection and DGR at 1 month after surgery, and by H. pylori infection and the route for esophageal reconstruction at 1 year after surgery. Acidity in the gastric conduit was significantly decreased after surgery. Acidity in the gastric conduit for esophageal substitutes is influenced by H. pylori infection and surgery. DGR influences the gastric acidity in the short-term after surgery, but not in the long-term after surgery.

After photodarkening, colored filter glasses obtained from different glass makers show energy relaxation times that depend on dopant components in the glasses. Dopant analysis implies that potassium ions may affect the energy relaxation time shortening. In order to observe dopant dependence of the darkening, laser wavelengths are adjusted to the same absorption in all samples. CdSxSe1−x microcrystallite sizes in this report are confirmed not to affect the energy relaxation times.

It is clearly shown that a nanosecond pulse dye laser can provide the same photodarkening effect in colored filter glasses as a picosecond hybridly mode-locked dye laser. This suggests that the photodarkening mechanism is associated with a kind of solarization and a state of surface activation due to the production of a snowball comprised of impurity ions around CdSxSe1−x micro- crystallites. It is also shown that the laser annealing effect is the same as the photodarkening effect.

A new technique utilizing the double refraction walk-off of a precisely cut pair of KTP crystals and a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser to obtain efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) is reported for the first time. This technique leads to a fourfold increment in second harmonic output power compared with that of a single crystal and would open up a number of potential new applications.

Cytokeratin (CK) 13 is an intermediate filament protein that is expressed in a cell-type-specific manner, in the tongue and occasionally in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Correlations between the clinical features of patients with SCC and CK13 expression in the tumor are here investigated along with CK13's utility as a marker for tongue cancer status. Samples from 121 patients with SCC of the tongue were examined by immunohistochemistry with antibodies against CK13. Correlations between the expression level of CK13 in the tumor and the patients' clinical features were statistically analyzed by univariate and multivariate methods. Univariate analysis showed a more relevant number of local recurrence (P = 0.04) in CK13-negative staining patients. In addition, CK13-negative cases were associated with local recurrence by multiple logistic regression analysis (OR: 3.36; 95% CI: 1.044-10.78; P = 0.04). Our results suggest that the loss of CK13 expression indicates tumors with a high potential for recurrence, and thus CK13 could be useful for determining the best course of treatment.

Middle-term perspectives of process-device technology of semiconductor integrated circuits are described. Even though Moore's law is generally considered to hold good for 10-15 years more, many of the current technologies are foreseen to face growth limitations and thus undergo innovative changes. Problems and possible breakthroughs are discussed for lithography, transistor size, interconnections and power dissipation as the principal factors of such limitations. Future directions to expand functionality and performance of integrated circuits are also described.

Photodarkening is reported in 4-(N,N-diethylamino)-β-nitrostyrene solutions. The photodarkening is due to the formation of new absorption bands and is thought to be a photochemical effect of the structural changes. In degenerate four-wave mixing, a resonant effect is observed around the new absorption bands but the fast response behavior does not change. After darkening, the excitation spectrum becomes complicated, which implies a multipath decay that may show the fast response in the resonant region. The solvent and concentration dependence of the darkening property is also reported.

SummaryLaparoscopic omental patch repair for perforated duodenal ulcer is still technically complicated and requires a long time because of the lack of appropriate laparoscopic techniques and instruments. Therefore, we have designed a new technique for laparoscopic omental plug repair in order to simplify these surgical procedures, and obtained good results with this method.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, and like many other autoimmune diseases, it is associated with the HLA and CTLA-4 gene. We have examined the distribution of the HLA DRB4*0101 allele and a CTLA-4 exon 1 A/G polymorphism in Japanese HT patients and controls and investigated possible interactions of these genes with thyroid function. Seventy Japanese HT patients and 105 controls were included in this study. HT was diagnosed on the basis of positivity for thyroid peroxidase (TPO) autoantibodies and the presence of a palpable diffuse goiter. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. CTLA-4-GG or -AG was more prevalent in the patients, and the odds ratio for the G allele was 4.95. The frequency of DRB4*0101-positive individuals was significantly higher in HT (odds ratio=2.17). The TSH values of HT patients at the time of diagnosis were compared to CTLA-4 genotype and HLA-DRB4*0101 positivity. They were slightly higher in the CTLA-4-AG group than in the -GG group and significantly higher in the HLA-DRB4*0101-positive group than in the -negative group (p

The spatial organization of cortical neural activities is one of the most important elements linking neural network models and natural neural networks. The columnar organization indicated by several works suggests a strong spatial constraint on neural network functions. Recently, attention has grown on the correlation between a vigorous firing of a particular neuron and the "supporting" neural firings in the cortical vicinity. Here, we investigate the relation between a vigorous firing of a particular neuron and the surrounding neural activities using a generic neural network architecture. We analyze the the spatial firing pattern in the vicinity of a particular neuron when the neuron is firing vigorously (preferred cortical state, PCS). We find that the spatial heterogeneity of the PCS is more pronounced in the both extreme ends of activity scale, and not so much in the intermediate activity region. This result, taken together with an analysis of the reaction of the network to a dynamic stimulus, put a strong constraint on the computational capabilities of a neural network. We discuss the implications of our result for the spatial constraints imposed on the neural information processing.

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease believed to be caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. One of the candidate genes is CTLA-4, a negative regulator of T cell activation. Three polymorphisms of the gene have been described, in the promoter at position -318, at position 49 in exon 1, and an (AT)n repeat within the 3'-untranslated region of exon 4. Many studies describe the association between a polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene and autoimmune disease. To investigate the association of these CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms with each other, we analyzed the combined frequencies of each polymorphism and calculated the disequilibrium coefficients. We studied DNA samples from 120 Graves' disease (GD) patients and 80 healthy donors (NC). The exon 1 position 49 A/G polymorphism and promoter polymorphism at position -318, were typed using a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). The polymorphic (AT)n repeat in exon 4 was determined by PCR amplification of genomic DNA, resolution of the amplified products on sequencing gels, and detection by autoradiography. There was a significant difference between GD and NC patients and occurrence of the polymorphism in exon 1 and exon 3, but not for the polymorphism in the promoter region. Furthermore, we found that the genotype with both the G allele in exon 1 and the 106 bp allele of the AT repeat in exon 4 occurred with much higher frequency in GD than NC (p

Although the polymorphisms of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) gene have been shown to be associated with Type 1 diabetes in Caucasians, some conflicting results have been reported among subjects of different ethnic backgrounds. We examined a CTLA4 polymorphism and its relationship to human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes and autoantibodies for glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and IA-2 in Japanese children with Type 1 diabetes.The study group consisted of 125 childhood-onset Japanese subjects (50 males, 75 females) with Type 1 diabetes. The CTLA4 A/G polymorphism at position 49 was analysed using a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 genotypes were defined by DNA analysis using PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) probes. The GAD65 autoantibody (GAD65Ab) and IA-2 autoantibody (IA-2Ab) titres were measured using radioimmunoassay.The distribution of genotype frequencies differs between subjects with Type 1 diabetes (GG: 46%, AG: 50%, AA: 5%) and controls (GG: 39%, AG: 44%, AA: 17%) (P0.01). The frequency of the G allele is higher in the diabetes group than in the controls (P0.05). When the subjects were subdivided according to HLA genotype, the two major HLA high-risk groups, with DR9-DQ9 and DR4-DQ4, that are unique to Japanese populations showed no difference in their CTLA4 polymorphism frequencies. Although no association between the CTLA4 polymorphism and the prevalence of GAD65Ab was found, CTLA4 GG subjects that had been newly diagnosed (9 months) had significantly higher levels of autoantibodies than AG subjects (P0.01). The prevalence and titres of IA-2Ab were not associated with the CTLA4 polymorphism.The CTLA4 gene might confer a susceptibility to childhood-onset Type 1 diabetes in the Japanese population. The association between this CTLA4 polymorphism and the HLA genotype was similar for both major groups with HLA high-risk alleles. CTLA4 might contribute to the humoral immune response to GAD in newly diagnosed subjects.

It is clearly shown for the first time that alkaline metal ions assist the photodarkening effect in colored filter glass. Time responses of samples vary depending on the kind of alkaline metal dopants involved as additive compounds for improving glass quality. Energy relaxation times of photoexcited carriers after laser beam irradiation change following weight quotients of potassium oxides from sodium oxides. The fastest response after irradiation can be obtained when the quotient is approximately two. This quotient corresponds to compositions showing conspicuous mixed‐alkali effects from potassium and sodium.

The calculation of the laser absorption is very important for implosion simulations to capture precisely its dynamics. In many implosion simulations, the laser absorption is computed by the use of ray tracing. However, the conventional ray tracing method has the problem that it generates a non-physical absorption distribution because it represents a laser beam by a finite number of rays. Such a non-physical distribution on the target surface could be numerical perturbations that grow drastically due to Rayleigh-Taylor instability. An enormous number of rays are required to avoid such a non-physical distribution. This results in high computational costs. Thus, we have developed a new method of ray tracing that essentially generates no non-physical absorption distribution. In the new algorithm, rays are inversely traced from grid points unlike the conventional method. This paper presents the new algorithm and a preliminary implosion simulation where the pressure perturbation due to the non-uniformity of the irradiation is computed by the use of this new ray tracing.

Background: It is technically difficult to puncture deep-seated hepatic tumors by conventional laparoscopic ultrasonography with a linear-array probe. We have developed a laparoscopic ultrasonography system with a convex-array probe. Methods: The laparoscopic system used had a fixed forward-viewing convex-array transducer, and a guide groove for puncture was added to the back of the unit. These characteristics enabled us to continuously monitor the position of the needle tip on the ultrasonographic image immediately after puncturing on the liver surface. We attempted tumor puncture in 11 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma under a new probe guidance. Results: The mean puncturing distance up to the tumors was 38.7 mm. All punctures were successful on the first pass and the tumors were treated with radiofrequency ablation. Conclusion: Using this new equipment, puncturing hepatic tumors for treatment is relatively easy, irrespective of the position of the tumor.

We present a case of sarcoidosis acutely aggravated with high fever and diffuse interstitial pulmonary infiltrates in a female patient at the age of 64. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed in another hospital as a result of iritis, chest radiography findings, and a negative reaction in a tuberculin skin test. She was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea and a high temperature of 39 degrees C in February 1994. A marked hypoxemia (PaO2 46.5 torr) was found in arterial blood gas analysis. Chest radiography revealed a bilateral diffuse reticulo-nodular shadows, and chest CT showed ground glass opacity predominant posteriorly. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed an increase in lymphocytes and an increased ratio of CD4 to CD8 T lymphocyte. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed lymphocytic alveolitis and proliferation of epithelioid cell granulomas in the alveolar septa and intraalveolar spaces. The patient was treated for deterioration of sarcoidosis with 40 mg of prednisolone and her respiratory status and the radiographic findings improved rapidly. With dose tapering of prednisolone, dyspnea and deterioration of the radiographic findings occurred, but with addition of a weekly low dose of methotrexate, dose reduction of prednisolone was achieved.

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency which was an index to the synthetic and sharp genetic toxicity was examined using the infant lymphocyte cells around postnatal of 1 year. SCE frequency as the control culture which was treated with the solvent, DMSO, alone (SCEcontrol) was 8.2 +/- 0.9/cell and as cultured with 7,8-benzoflavone (ANF) (SCEANF) was 11.8 +/- 1.4/cell. In addition, the difference of SCEANF and SCEcontrol, namely, delta SCEs became 3.6 +/- 1.3/cell. The concentration of the dioxins in the mother's milk, which had taken by the infants, in the 2-4 month postpartum was 0.95 +/- 0.51 pg-TEQ/g in the male infants, and 0.97 +/- 0.48 pg-TEQ/g in the female ones. The sex difference could not be recognized in contamination levels of the dioxins in mother's milk. The SCE frequency of the infant lymphocytes was examined in order to evaluate the genetic toxicity of the dioxins which had contaminated mother's milk. As the result, either the SCE frequencies or delta SCEs did not show any significant correlation to the dioxins. Therefore, the dioxins were considered not to induce the genetic toxicity such as the SCEs at the present levels of pollution in Japanese mother's milk around postnatal of 1 year.

To examine whether CTLA-4 gene confers susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japanese.We investigated the distribution of a CTLA-4 gene polymorphism in 85 Japanese patients with RA and 200 controls. An A/G transition at position 49 of exon 1 was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The patients were also analyzed with respect to HLA-DR status. HLA-DR typing was performed by PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing.The distribution of genotype frequencies differed between RA and controls (chi-squared 8.63, 2 df, p = 0.013). The CTLA-4 AG genotype occurred more frequently in patients with RA (59 vs 44%), and the presence of at least one G allele (GG or AG) conferred an odds ratio of 2.53 (95% CI 1.74-3.32). When the patients were analyzed with respect to HLA-DR status, this association was restricted to patients carrying the susceptible HLA allele (HLA-DRB1*0405).The CTLA-4 gene is associated with Japanese patients with RA carrying the susceptible HLA allele.

The energy relaxation and the dephasing time constants of colored filter glass are measured as functions of temperature and the wavelength of the incident light by degenerate four‐wave mixing. To investigate the influence of the photodarkening effect on the relaxation time constants, fresh and photodarkened samples are measured. The two samples have almost the same dephasing time constants but their energy relaxation time constants are quite different.

It is demonstrated for the first time that photodarkening in colored filter glasses is associated with apparent growth of CdSxSe1−x microcrystallites. This is thought to be due to the attraction of impurity ions around the microcrystallites. Both a Q‐switched Nd3+:YAG laser and a hybrid mode‐locked dye laser are used as the light sources. Microcrystallite growth is directly observed by transmission electron microscopy and by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. Growth is also inferred from local changes in color and measured absorption spectra.

The optical grating memory effect in polysilane film is investigated. A refractive index grating is formed within a few minutes by using visible light near room temperature. The grating formation time is dominated by the peak intensity of the pumping beams, and its dependence on the wavelength of the pumping beams corresponds to the two‐photon absorption spectrum. The grating formation mechanism is explained as the result of the chain scission induced by two‐photon absorption.

We have demonstrated an efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) using a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser and a pair of KTP crystals. The crystals are oriented in such a way leading to walk-off compensation and subsequently about four fold increment from the one of the pair in second harmonic output power. This is expected to open up various new potential applications.

An 80-year-old woman presented at our hospital on October 1995 with fever, hemoptysis and a cavitary shadow on chest X-ray. Blood examination revealed an accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation ratio and elevated CRP. Pulmonary cryptococcosis was suspected, but serological tests and bronchoscopic examination for cryptococcus were both negative. There was also no evidence of the tuberculosis or malignancy. She was treated with the antibiotic cefpirome sulfate intravenously for thirteen days. Her chest X-ray and abnormal blood test findings became almost completely normal following the i.v. antibiotic treatment. In February 1996 (2 months after her first admission), she had severe right cheek pain, and Coldwell Luc's operation was performed after right maxillary sinusitis was diagnosed. A high fever (39 degrees C) continued after surgery, and multiple cavitary shadows were seen on chest X-ray. Blood examination revealed an accelerated ESR, elevated CRP and slightly elevated c-ANCA. She was treated with i.v. infusion of antibiotics and antifungal drug's, but did not improve. Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed after transcutaneous lung biopsy and histopathological examination of the maxillary sinus. Dramatic improvement was seen following treatment with oral cyclophosphamide and prednisolone. Whether her first remission was due to antibiotic treatment or spontaneous is an interesting question.

Investigating the labor by anesthetists in general hospitals with more than 600 beds during the month of September 1995.Using MS/EXCEL spread sheet soft wear, we have analyzed daily OR anesthesia activities in 33 hospitals based on personal attendance of anesthesiologists. We defined anesthesia performing hours i.e. actual working hours as the time between the onset and the end of anesthesia for each anesthetist.An average number of monthly anesthesia cases was 961 in the first 10 hospitals we surveyed. We obtained two frequency graphs on weekly 5-day working 138 anesthetists whose anesthesia performed, and their occupied hours were as shown in fig. 1 and 2. for those who worked other less than 5 days per week, they showed the shorter hours on the frequency distribution graph as shown in fig. 3 to 7. The 5-day working anesthetists have spent more than 5 hours giving anesthesia in the 93.2% of all anesthesia times in the first 10 hospitals, while 28.1% of the times in the last 10 hospitals. There were an average of 11.6 operating tables, in the first 10 hospitals. And we have analyzed ratios of the number of 5 day working persons to the number of operating tables. The ratio was 0.86 in the first 10 hospitals, while 0.21 in the last 10 hospitals.There must be overwork of 5-day working anesthetists, who are working for too many hours for anesthesia. It is necessary to have better quality service in the OR.