Search

A method for recycling diaper waste pulp was developed. Super-absorbent polymer (SAP) in diapers was dehydrated by oxidizing it using ozone, then the pulp in the diaper waste was recycled. The diaper waste was washed and centrifugally separated, then the SAP and pulp mixture was oxidized using ozone to separate the SAP and pulp to allow the pulp to be recycled. A sample of SAP that had absorbed either 400 mL of distilled water or 80 mL of a 0.9% NaCl solution was placed in 2000 mL of a 45 g/m3 ozone solution produced by passing ozone through the solution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The SAP concentration decreased as the reaction time increased. Oxidation by ozone destroyed the cross-linked SAP structure and therefore eliminated the ability of the SAP to retain water. Ozone treatment also broke the ether bonds of the cross-linking agent in the SAP. This caused the water-insoluble SAP to be converted into a water-soluble sodium acrylate polymer. The molecular weight and degree of dispersion of the SAP also decreased as the reaction time increased. The water-absorptivity of the recovered pulp was almost the same as the water-absorptivity of virgin pulp and was higher than the standard value of 10 g/g. The water-absorptivity of the recovered pulp was not affected by the ozone treatment. We concluded that the method can be used to recycle disposable diaper pulp.

In this paper, a novel thin card-sized on-metal 953MHz UHF RFID tag is presented. The RFID tag operates in a unique configuration with an IC chip mounted on a small metallic loop and a radiative mushroom structure. A card-sized 54×86×0.94mm3 tag is designed successfully with a reasonable IC impedance matching with appropriate loop dimensions. It is shown that the reading range performance is tolerant of the environment and the measured reading range is 2.6m on a large 200×300×2mm3 metal board. The reading range is 0.1m longer than a commercial card-sized on-metal tag with much larger thickness of 1.8mm.

Calcium alginate film containing ellagic acid as a functional material was formed on polyethylene nonwoven sheet by the reaction of sodium alginate with calcium chloride in the presence of ellagic acid. The film had the intelligent function of release of ellagic acid triggered by sodium ion. This response resulted from conversion of the water-insoluble calcium alginate to water-soluble sodium alginate. The optimal conditions for the intelligent calcium alginate film prepared on the polyethylene surface were 0.5% CaCl2 solution and 0.05 or 0.1% sodium alginate solution.

A 69-year old man complaining of longstanding hearing loss and mild otorrhea was found to have a mass obliterating the external auditory canal and polypous tympanic mucosa with accompanying absence of the tympanic membrane and ossicular chain. Tumors excised from the external auditory canal and tympanum showed histologic features essentially characteristic of a carcinoid tumor: a ribbon or festoon arrangement of tumor cells, formation of anastomosing cords and glandular spaces, presence of numerous argyrophilic as well as argentaffin secretory granules within many of the tumor cells, and ultrastructur-al evidence of neurosecretory granules in the tumor cell cytoplasm. Immunohistochemically, the tumor was found to contain not only neuronal marker substances such as neuron-specific enolase, S 100 protein and chromogranin A, but also serotonin and multiple peptide hormones such as pancreatic polypeptide, glucagon, cholecystokinin and leucine-enkephalin. A review of the pathology of 17 previous cases of carcinoid of the middle ear suggested that this type of carcinoid may have a variegated hormone profile among carcinoids of foregut origin, and hormonally may resemble ileal carcinoid arising from the midgut, although their histogenetic origins may differ, because of frequent production of serotonin. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 614–620, 1992.

A suspension of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in NaCl solution was exposed to high voltage pulses under defined conditions. The results on perforation through the membrane and the cell wall structure (electropermeabilization) and the resealing process are presented. Capacitor discharges were applied to yeast cells in their logarithmic growth phase. A dye was added at a predetermined time after the electric pulse. Dyed and total (dyed plus undyed) yeast cells were counted microscopically and the rate was calculated. Dyed cells were assumed to have pores. For simplicity, the time constant of the electric circuit was adjusted so that it was almost the same for each capacitance by changing the conductivity of the yeast suspension. The capacitances used in the experiments were 1, 2, 4 and 8 μF yielding different initial field strengths. It was calculated that, under similar perforation and resealing conditions, almost the same energy was applied to the yeast suspension. Our conclusion is that the electrical energy is closely concerned with the electropermeabilization and resealing of the membrane and cell wall.

In this paper, an impedance matching technique of a UHF RFID tag inlet antenna on a high impedance surface (HIS) with parasite elements is studied experimentally. It is shown that, regardless of the fact that the input impedance of the inlet antenna is affected by a vicinal HIS, parasite elements on the HIS can successfully recover the original input impedance and lead to a good matching to the IC chip without any modification to the tag antenna itself. A reading range of 4m, which is almost the same as that in free space, is demonstrated with a 953MHz band RFID tag inlet on a HIS with optimized parasite elements, and the validity and usefulness of the technique is confirmed experimentally using a commercial RFID system.

A case of aneurysm of the right common iliac artery with rupture into the appendix is reported.A 69-year-old man with massive melena received emergency surgery during shock. Upon laparotomy, a firmly adhering egg-sized sclerotic aneurysm of the right common iliac artery ruptured into the body of the appendix. With the procedure of appendectomy and partial aneurysmectomy, he recovered. However, six months later massive melena with shock occurred again, and he underwent reoperation. The residual aneurysm of the rifht common iliac artery regrew and ruptured into the sigmoid colon. Although removal of the entire aneurysm and femoro-femoral bypass was done, he died three days after reoperation with renal failure.Rupture of an abdominal aneurysm into the lower digestive tract is rare. This is considered the first case in Japan of a fistula between a common iliac aneurysm and the appendix. For the treatment of aneurysmo-lower intestinal fistula with massive melena, emergency operation consisting of the removal of the entire aneurysm and arterial reconstruction should be performed immediately to save the patient's life, rather than doing time-consuming diagnostic procedures.

A case of cecal volvulus complicated with diffuse peritonitis due to perforation was treated. One hundred eleven cases of cecal volvulus in the Japanese literature were reviewed.The patient was a 52-year-old female idiot who was confined to bed. She presented with abdominal distension and fever. Plain abdominal X-ray revealed free air. The patient was diagnosed as having difuse peritonitis due to gastrointestinal perforation. During surgery, the cecum was rotated 360 degrees clockwise but was not found to be necrotic. A pin-hole perforation was seen at the anterior wall of the cecum. An ileocecal resection was performed. The postoperative course was good and without complication. It is difficult to diagnose volvulus of the cecum before surgery because of the absence of specific symptoms and signs. Surgical treatment performed as soon as possible is most importatn for this disease. Wide ileocecal resection is the most suitable procedure to prevent recurrence.