Search

Background: Frailty prevention is one of social prescriptions for an aging society. That requires community level intervention. Objectives: This study examined frailty checkup supporters’ (FCSs’) intentions to engage in human-resource development and training activities (i.e., leadership activities) and related factors. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Three municipalities in suburban area, Eastern Japan. Participants: Forty-five of 59 FCSs completed anonymous self-administered questionnaires. Measurements: Questionnaire sought information regarding their sociodemographic data, their perceptions and experiences of FCS activities, and their intentions to participate in human-resource development and training activities. Participants were divided into a high intention (HI) and low intention group (LI). The two groups were compared using quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Eleven FCSs reported intending to engage in leader-related activities. Factors associated with FCSs’ intentions were finding FCS activities rewarding and the willingness to continue performing FCS activities. The participants who changed their daily activities (p = .041) and perceptions regarding contributing to the community (p = .018) showed significantly higher intention than LI participants. Free description about the changes in perceptions and lifestyles as a consequence of participating in FCS activities were analyzed qualitatively. FCSs who changed their daily activities and perspectives about contributing to the community described positive changes in both the groups. Meanwhile, FCSs who did not change their daily activities and perspectives about contributing to the community described their reason only in the LI group. Conclusions: The results might encourage FCSs to participate in training and guidance activities, as they have positive experiences and receive recognition obtained through participation in such activities.

Aim The fact that accumulated reductions in the oral function with aging (i.e. oral frailty) lead to physical frailty has recently received considerable attention, and countermeasures are being promoted, mainly in the field of dentistry. We assessed the relationship between oral frailty and subjective food satisfaction under the hypothesis that oral frailty is also related to psychological problems. Methods Participants were attendees of the fourth wave of the Kashiwa cohort study in 2016. We excluded individuals with cognitive impairment and those who had missing values in the main variables. Regarding food satisfaction, "tastiness," "enjoyment," and "amount of food" were evaluated with self-administered questionnaires. Oral conditions were evaluated based on the number of remaining teeth and oral frailty. Results Of the 940 participants (mean age 76.3±5.1 years; 53% men), 71% responded that their food was "tasty," 96% said it was "enjoyable," 23% said that the amount of food was "large," and 63% said that the amount was "normal." While the number of teeth (20.8±8.5) was not significantly associated with food satisfaction, compared to those without oral frailty, those who had oral frailty were less likely to feel satisfaction with their meals ( "tasty," adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.49 [0.29-0.83]; "large," 0.36 [0.15-0.84]; "normal," 0.44 [0.22-0.85]). Conclusions Our results indicated negative associations between oral frailty and food satisfaction. In addition, the absence of a significant association with the number of teeth suggests that it is necessary to maintain not only the number of teeth but also the comprehensive oral function to support older people's enriched diets.

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder leading to disability and reduced quality of life. Effective treatment with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) poses a significant economic burden. The abatacept (ABT) versus adalimumab comparison in biologic-naive RA subjects with background methotrexate (AMPLE) trial1was a head-to-head randomized study.Objectives:To assess the cost-effectiveness (CE) of early initiation of ABT on Japanese RA patients with data from the IORRA database (ID).2Methods:A model based on the AMPLE study was used to estimate the CE of ABT 1stversus ABT 2ndlines in a cohort of 1000 patients based on responses on ACR20/50/70, HAQ-DI, CDAI and SDAI estimated from the real-clinical data of the ID. Unit costs for direct medical costs of adverse events (AEs), proportions of patients with concomitant medications or outpatient/inpatient visits; doses and duration of concomitant medications were taken from the JMDC claims database.3Uncertainty was assessed in sensitivity analyses (SA) where cost parameters were tested on their ±30% levels. Results were compared between subgroups using cut-offs of 65-years of age and 1.5 of HAQ, or 5-years of treatment duration. The study used a Japanese healthcare payers’ perspective over a 2-year time horizon.Results:Incremental costs were all in favor of ABT 2ndline with 137 MJPY (1.1 M€, 120 JPY=1 €), 6 MJPY (0.05 M€), 41 MJPY (0.3 M€), 8 MJPY (0.07 M€) and 2.2 MJPY (0.02 M€) for bDMARDs, concomitant medication, AEs, serious AE, and hospitalizations due to infections, respectively. In total, the incremental costs were expected to be 195 MJPY (1.6 M€) higher for ABT as 1stline treatment, but the cost per responding patient and per patient in remission favored ABT 1stline across most response outcomes (Table 1).Table 1.Total costs per responder and patient in remission per 2-yearDifference in cost per health gain(ABT first line - ABT second line)Cost per responding patient (kJPY)ACR20-2,927 (-24 k€)ACR50-6,406 (-53 k€)ACR70-10,822 (-90 k€)HAQ-DI-5,120 (-43 k€)Cost per patient in remission (kJPY)DAS28828 (7 k€)CDAI-7,019 (-58 k€)SDAI-5,584 (-47 k€)ABT=abatacept; ACR20/50/70= 20/50/70% improvement of the American college of rheumatology criteria; HAQ-DI=health assessment questionnaire disability index; DAS28=disease activity score; CDAI=clinical disease activity index; SDAI=simplified disease activity indexSA showed that the cost for bDMARDs drives the difference in healthcare costs between the cohorts (-685 MJPY to 1,074 MJPY). For sub-groups of patients ≥65 years, stline, respectively.Conclusion:Savings per responding patient are expected if ABT are prescribed as 1stline versus 2ndor 3rdline treatment, irrespective of age, disease duration and functional impairment level.References:[1]Sokolove J MS et al.,Anna rheum dis.2015;74(Suppl 2)[2]IORRA cohort database, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan[3]JMDC claims database, Tokyo, JapanDisclosure of Interests:Eiichi Tanaka Consultant of: ET has received lecture fees or consulting fees from Abbvie, Asahi Kasei pharma co., Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Eisai Pharmaceutical, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Nippon Kayaku, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Co., and UCB Pharma., Speakers bureau: ET has received lecture fees or consulting fees from Abbvie, Asahi Kasei pharma co., Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Eisai Pharmaceutical, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Nippon Kayaku, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Co., and UCB Pharma., Eisuke Inoue Speakers bureau: EI has received speaker fee from Bristol-Meyers, Pfizer, Merck serono., Ayako Shoji Consultant of: To conduct this work, Jonas Nilsson Consultant of: To conduct this study, Christos Papagiannopoulos Consultant of: To conduct this study, Dhanda Devender Shareholder of: BMS, Employee of: BMS, Yoshio Anazawa Shareholder of: BMS, Employee of: BMS, Yuri Yoshizawa Shareholder of: BMS, Employee of: BMS, masayoshi harigai Grant/research support from: AbbVie Japan GK, Ayumi Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Co., Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., and Teijin Pharma Ltd. MH has received speaker’s fee from AbbVie Japan GK, Ayumi Pharmaceutical Co., Boehringer Ingelheim Japan, Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Ltd., Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Oxford Immuotec, Pfizer Japan Inc., and Teijin Pharma Ltd. MH is a consultant for AbbVie, Boehringer-ingelheim, Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Teijin Pharma.

Aim: To examine the association between social frailty and new onset of frailty and sarcopenia, which are defined by Cardiovascular Health Study index and Asian working group of sarcopenia, respectively, in Japanese community-dwelling older adults.

Recently, many plastic products have been produced and used. These plastic products are mostly manufactured using injection molding machines. The quality of plastic products depends on the injection force. Therefore, it is important to develop a fine force-control system. Generally, in force-control systems, the force information from the environment is detected by a force sensor. However, control systems using force sensors present problems related to signal noise, sensor cost, narrow bandwidth, and other factors. To overcome these problems, this paper presents a proposal for a new sensorless force-control method using a reaction torque observer. The injection molding machine, which uses a ball screw, has a resonance frequency that is affected by the torsion phenomenon. This new reaction torque observer considers the torsion phenomenon and friction phenomena.

We conducted the first study to determine fracture incidence in institutionalized elderly people in East Asia. Fracture incidence was generally higher than in the general population but was not for all fracture types. Specific fracture prevention strategies for institutionalized people are needed. Ethnic differences in fracture incidence are also discussed. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of fractures in nursing homes in Japan, where fracture is becoming an increasingly problematic health issue. We conducted a cohort study with a 1-year follow-up. Subjects were 8,905 residents (average age, 84.3 years) in nursing homes. Caregivers assessed activities of daily living levels using Barthel’s index, and we collected demographic data of each resident. Fracture diagnosis was based on medical records from the hospitals where patients were admitted. Incidence of hip fracture was 14.9 per 1,000 person-years for women and 9.7 for men. Incidence of forearm and upper-arm fractures was 1.9 and 5.1 for women and 0.5 and 2.1 for men, respectively. Hip and upper-arm fracture rates were higher than in the general population, but forearm fracture rates were lower. Hazard ratio of fracture incidence in totally dependent to partially dependent or independent subjects was 0.14 (95%CI 0.05–0.33) for hip fracture and 0.34 (95%CI 0.23–0.50) for all fractures. Fracture incidence in institutionalized elderly people is generally higher but is not higher for all types of fractures than the general population. In addition, totally dependent persons had a much lower risk of hip fracture.

We have been studying single flux quantum (SFQ) digital signal processing (DSP) circuits for superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) photon detector arrays. The proposed DSP circuit consists of a binary tree of multiplexers, a time counter, a binary counter, and a readout memory. Each multiplexer was designed such that the first arriving SFQ pulse train connects to the binary counter until the time counter reaches a set value. The time counter is set to a sufficiently long time compared with the response time of STJ photon detector. After processing the multiplexer, SFQ pulses are integrated by the binary counter. The number of integrated SFQ pulses is proportional to the number of quasi-particles generated by photon irradiation in an STJ. After the time counter reaches the set value, the time counter generates a set SFQ pulse to set the multiplexer in the ready state, the integrated value is sent to the readout memory and then the binary counter is reset. The binary tree of multiplexers could be extended to have address bits for photon imaging using an STJ array. One key component of the proposed DSP circuit was fabricated and its operation using an on-chip clock generator was successfully demonstrated.

Early lung adenocarcinoma is well-recognized as a small-sized non-invasive adenocarcinoma or localized non-mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (LNMBAC); however, the molecular events associated with these early lesions are not clear. To determine the genes involved in tumorigenesis at the early stage of lung adenocarcinoma, we compared the mRNA expression profiles of LNMBAC and normal lungs with an oligonucleotide array. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to confirm the expression of detected genes. We identified 183 differentially expressed genes, of which 15 were up-regulated and 168 down-regulated. Among them, most up-regulated genes, such as AQP3 and Claudin-4, were expressed in both adenocarcinoma cells and type II alveolar pneumocytes, corresponding to the histological similarity between these cell types. However, multidrug resistant protein 3 (MRP3) was only expressed on tumour cell membranes and not in type II alveolar pneumocytes, as confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, the number of MRP3-positive cells significantly increased from AAH (the precursor lesion of lung adenocarcinoma) to LNMBAC. We conclude that MRP3 could be a novel molecular marker for LNMBAC, whose expression increases during the early progression of tumourigenesis.

The novel method has been developed to detect accuracy fault elements in transistor level circuit, analyzing the characteristics of circuit operation influenced on leakage fault and being combined with diagnosis software, based on switching level simulation. This method is based on behavior of CMOS transistor to which applied unstable voltage produced by leakage fault. Unsettled logic brings the transistor's operation point to saturation area with multi-impedance value and forms penetration current nets passing through it. Output value on the net is calculated with each element impedance value and miss-logic signal is spread to output terminal. An evaluation of this technology corroborates to be precise method by using the circuit in which embedded arbitrary fault portions.

Inadequate nutrition intake is considered as an important factor for developing frailty which lead to poor health outcomes in elderly. Recently whole diet approach and food diversity studies were conducted instead of focusing on a single nutrient since food and meals contain interacting elements. However, it is still unknown what kind of food consumption pattern is influential to frailty. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between food groups consumption and frailty in community-dwelling elderly. We used baseline data from a cohort study in Kashiwa city, Chiba prefecture, Japan. The participants were randomly selected from elderly aged 65 years old and over who were non-eligible for long-term care. We assessed frequency of each food group consumption by self-administered questionnaire. Food was divided into 10 groups: meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, soy beans, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, potatoes and fried foods. Frailty was defined using Kihon checklist (a Japanese Frailty Index). Binary logistic regression analysis was run to examine the association between food groups and frailty. Among 2,003 participants (mean age was 73.0 ± 5.6), 186 (9.3%) participants were classified as frail group. In logistic regression model, low consumption of meat (OR 1.46, 95%CI 1.05–2.04), fish (OR 1.46, 95%CI 1.06–2.01) and soy beans (OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.05–2.22) were positively associated with frailty. Frail elderly tended to eat less meat, fish and soybean which are among protein foods group, suggesting that increasing frequency of regular protein foods group intake might be essential in prevention of frailty progression.

A new compact position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PS-PMT), Hamamatsu R7600-C12, has been developed for scintillation detectors. The PS-PMT has 11 stages of metal channel dynodes [2] and 6(X)+6(Y) crossed plate anodes in a 25.7 mm square/spl times/20 mm high metal can package, where the photo-sensitive area is 22 mm square. The performance of the PS-PMT was evaluated in terms of applicability to radiation imaging systems. In comparison with the former type of PS-PMT (Hamamatsu R5900-C8), the new PS-PMT provides smaller light spread and better position response. Also, by removing the flange at the bottom of the PS-PMT, the ratio of the effective area to the outward area is increased. The spatial resolution capability was demonstrated by imaging a stratified LSO array having an element of 1.8 mm/spl times/1.8 mm/spl times/10 mm. Each crystal element is clearly identified on the image map with 662 keV uniform gamma-ray irradiation. This paper describes the characteristics of the new PS-PMT and the experimental results for a gamma-ray imaging detector.

Superplasticity in Al 2 O 3 -20 vol% spinel (MgO · 1.5Al 2 O 3 ) is investigated by means of tensile testing in the temperature range 1300–1550 °C. The dispersion of spinel phase in Al 2 O 3 slightly reduces the flow stress, and highly enhances the high-temperature ductility at the same stress level in comparison with 0.1 wt% MgO-doped single-phase Al 2 O 3 . A maximum elongation of 396% is obtained at 1550 °C and a strain rate of 2.4 × 10 −4 s −1 . The flow stress reduction is associated with a slight reduction in activation energy for superplastic flow. The extensive ductility in Al 2 O 3 -20 vol% spinel cannot be explained only from the stress reduction. The Al 2 O 3 /spinel boundaries are expected to have much larger resistance to crack extension than Al 2 O 3 grain boundaries.

In applications such as radiation measurements and medical instrumentation, the development of more compact and portable equipment has continually progressed. This has led to a strong demand for small photodetectors. Additionally, in the recent experiments for high energy physics (HEP), luminosity and energy of beams have been increased to achieve precise measurements. These have led to a demand for photodetectors which can be operated in a high magnetic field. Hamamatsu is continuously developing new types of detectors to keep up with those trends. The performance and the prime features of the latest vacuum photodetectors are discussed.

In recent energy physics experiments, many environmental conditions have changed in comparison with past experiments, mainly because of the higher energies, luminosities and measuring accuracy. Hamamatsu is continuously developing new types of detectors to keep up with this trend. The performance and expected applications of the latest vacuum detectors are discussed in this paper.

Superplasticity in SiO{sub 2}-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (2.5Y-TZP) is investigated by means of tensile testing in a temperature range 1,200--1,500 C. The grain boundary SiO{sub 2} phase reduces the flow stress and greatly enhances the tensile ductility in TZP. The stress and grain size exponents take a value close to 2 and 3, respectively, in this temperature range, but there is an abrupt change in activation energy at 1,380 C in SiO{sub 2}-doped TZP. The activation energy for superplastic flow above and below this temperature is estimated to be 182 kJ/mol and 635 kJ/mol. The enhancement of superplasticity due to SiO{sub 2}-doping is explained in terms of the accelerated plastic flow in the grain boundary SiO{sub 2} phase to accommodate the stress concentration generated by grain boundary sliding. The elongation to failure in the SiO{sub 2}-doped TZP is phenomenologically described as a function of the Zener-Hollomon parameter. At high temperatures and low strain rates, the cavities tend to align and interlink parallel to the tensile axis, and the huge elongation in excess of several hundred percent is obtained.

To satisfy the requirements of the next generation of dark matter detectors based on the dual phase TPC, Hamamatsu, in close collaboration with UCLA, has developed the R11410-10 photomultipler tube. In this work, we present the detailed tests performed on this device. High QE (>30%) accompanied by a low dark count rate (50 Hz at 0.3 PE) and high gain (10^7) with good single PE resolution have been observed. A comprehensive screening measurement campaign is ongoing while the manufacturer quotes a radioactivity of 20 mBq/PMT. These characteristics show the R11410-10 to be particularly suitable for the forthcoming zero background liquid xenon detectors., 19 pages, 18 figures

The in vivo isomerization of all-trans- and 9-cis-retinoic acids (RAs) was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography after oral administration to rats. All-trans (2 ng/ml)- and 13-cis (1.8 ng/ml)-RAs, but not 9-cis-RA, were detected in the serum of normal rats. When an excess of either all-trans-RA or 9-cis-RA (100 micrograms/rat) was intragastrically administered to the retinoid-depleted rats, a rapid isomer exchange between 9-cis- and all-trans-RAs along with appearance of the administered RA occurred shortly after the dose (30 min). RA rapidly isomerized when an excess of either all-trans- or 9-cis-RA (1 mg/rat) was administered to normal rats. To examine whether the isomerized RAs elicit biological actions in vivo, the induction of target genes-[cellular retinol-binding protein type II (CRBP II) for 9-cis-RA and all-trans-retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR beta) for 9-cis- and all-trans-RAs] was determined. The degree of induction of the two genes did not differ 4 h after administration of either 9-cis-RA or all-trans-RA. However, unlike all-trans-RA, the RAR-specific synthetic retinoids did not induce the CRBP II gene. These results suggested that the apparent actions of 9-cis- and all-trans-RAs on gene expression in vivo may be mediated to some extent by the converted stereoisomer.

Multiple Coulomb-excitation experiments for $^{156}\mathrm{Gd}$ were made with a 118 MeV $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ beam and a 225 MeV $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ beam. The ground-state band, the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ band ($K={0}^{+}$), another $K={0}^{+}$ band, and the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ band ($K={2}^{+}$) were observed up to the ${18}^{+}$, ${14}^{+}$, ${8}^{+}$, and ${12}^{+}$ states, respectively, while the octupole band ($K={1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) was observed up to the ${15}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state, through the analysis of particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ data. Compared with the results of the in-beam $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy previously obtained, the present result suggests that a band crossing occurs in the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ band. As for the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ band, the excitation energy of the ${12}^{+}$ state was revised and the ${14}^{+}$ state was newly observed in the present experiment. The intrinsic matrix elements entering the generalized intensity relations were obtained so as to reproduce the spin dependence of the $E2$ matrix elements extracted from the experimental results of particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ angular correlation for the transitions within each band and between each band and the ground-state band by the least-squares search code gosia. The change of characters in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ and $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ bands is discussed as a possible cause for the variation of the $E2$ matrix elements in the higher-spin region. The intrinsic matrix elements were also obtained for the $E1$ and $E3$ transitions from the ground-state band to the octupole band with $K={1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ through analysis by gosia.

A charged particle detector system for Coulomb excitation experiments with the multi-γ-ray detector system, NORDBALL, has been designed and constructed. The system consists of five position sensitive Si detecors and an annular type Si detector, which are installed in the central space of a BaF2 inner ball. The experiments have been carried out by using the beams of 32S, 48Ti and 58Ni ions. The combination of the new charged particle detector system and NORDBALL proves to have an excellent performance for heavy-ion-induced Coulomb excitation experiments.

Excited states in 154,156,158,160 Gd have been populated through the multiple coulomb excitation process by 32 S, 48 Ti, 58 Ni ions. The ground band, γ-band and octupole K π = 0 − band were extended to I π = 16 + , (12 + ), and (11 − ) state respectively in 160 Gd. The octupole K π = 1 − band was extended to I π = 9 − state in 158 Gd. Excitation cross sections of individual levels relative to that of the I π = 4 + state in the ground band in each nucleus were compared with the simulation by the computer code GOSIA within the framework of the pure rotational model. From these comparisons the matrix elements for both intra-band and inter-band transitions were deduced.

Gene expression of three nuclear retinoid X receptors (RXR alpha, beta and gamma) was examined by Northern blot analysis in various rat tissues. The RXR alpha mRNA (5.5 kb) was detected in most tissues and particularly expressed at a high level in the liver. The RXR beta transcripts (2.4 and 3.0 kb) were expressed ubiquitously, and particularly at high levels in the brain and testis. In the liver, heart, kidney and lung, the RXR gamma mRNA (2.0 kb) was specifically detected. Furthermore, we examined the effect of retinoid, vitamin D and thyroid hormone status on the gene expression of RXR alpha, beta and gamma. Though retinoid and vitamin D did not affect the mRNA levels of three RXRs, the mRNA levels of two genes were controlled by thyroid hormone. Namely, positive (RXR beta) and negative (RXR gamma) regulations by thyroid hormone were observed with no effect on the gene expression of RXR alpha. These results suggest that thyroid hormone might affect the signal transduction of retinoid, vitamin D and thyroid hormone by changing RXR levels.

High-temperature plastic flow of high-purity A1 2 O 3 and MgO-doped A1 2 O 3 has been examined in a temperature range 1300 ∼ 1450°C. High-purity A1 2 O 3 with an initial grain size of about 0.9 μm is characterized by large strain-hardening rate and small tensile ductility up to 20%. The addition of 0.1 wt% MgO into A1 2 O 3 results in a decrease of strain-hardening rate and improves tensile ductility. The tensile elongation up to 70% is obtained in MgO-doped A1 2 O 3 . The difference in plastic flow behavior between pure and MgO-doped A1 2 O 3 is caused by the difference in grain growth during high-temperature deformation between the two materials. The grain growth inhibition caused by the MgO addition is very important to improve the tensile ductility. The tensile ductility of MgO-doped A1 2 O 3 is slightly but further improved in a temperature-increasing test. The role of grain size on tensile ductility is discussed in this paper.

We have investigated the effects of retinoids, vitamin D and thyroid hormone on the levels of retinoic acid receptor (RAR)alpha, RAR beta and RAR gamma mRNAs in intact animals. Although vitamin A deficiency caused no significant changes in the levels of RAR alpha and RAR gamma mRNAs, the level of RAR beta transcripts was greatly decreased in various tissues of vitamin A-deficient rats, but was restored rapidly to a normal level after administration of retinoic acid. Retinol also restored the RAR beta mRNA level, but the magnitude and kinetics of the induction differed from those by retinoic acid. The use of specific inhibitors demonstrated that this autoregulation of RAR beta gene expression in vivo occurred at the transcriptional level. In addition, from these results it was postulated that the maintenance of the normal RAR beta mRNA levels seemed to require a threshold serum retinol concentration (about 25 micrograms/dl). Moreover, we found that administration of retinol and retinoic acid to normal rats caused the overexpression of RAR beta transcripts (2-15-fold) when compared with the control levels of RAR beta mRNA, although the levels of RAR alpha and RAR gamma mRNAs were not affected. Vitamin D and thyroid hormone did not modulate the levels of RAR transcripts. These findings clearly indicate the specific ligand regulation of RAR beta gene expression in intact animals. The altered levels of RAR beta according to retinoid status may affect retinoid-inducible gene expression.

The motion of dust particles in a rising air bubble is governed by the inertial force due to the internal flow inside the bubble and the diffusion process due to the nonuniform distribution of the dust particles concentration. The circulating flow inside a bubble has a considerable effect on both phenomena. The dust removal efficiency under the influence of the circulating flow is analyzed numerically. Comparison of the calculated results with the experimental data in a pilot plant with respect to the removal efficiency shows that the phenomena are well described by this analysis, and that inertial motion and diffusion play important roles in determining the motion of particles inside a bubble in a jet bubbling reactor.

This report describes a 14-year-old girl with fulminant myocarditis who was successfully treated with a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS). She developed progressive cardiac failure after a 3-week history of progressive fatigue, fever, tachypnea, and dyspnea requiring inotropic support, mechanical ventilation, and intra-aortic balloon pumping. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and she was cannulated for PCPS using a right femoral artery/femoral vein approach, which resulted in rapid improvement and hemodynamic stabilization. This case documents that circulatory support with PCPS is effective for treating children with fulminant myocarditis.

This 1-year cohort study of nursing home residents revealed that historical fractures of upper limbs or nonhip lower limbs were associated with hip fracture (hazard ratio = 2.14), independent of activities of daily living (ADL), mobility, dementia, weight, and type of nursing home. Prior nonhip fractures are useful for predicting of hip fracture in institutional settings.The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of fracture history for the prediction of hip fracture in nursing home residents.This was a cohort study with a 1-year follow-up. Subjects were 8,905 residents of nursing homes in Niigata, Japan (mean age, 84.3 years). Fracture histories were obtained from nursing home medical records. ADL levels were assessed by caregivers. Hip fracture diagnosis was based on hospital medical records.Subjects had fracture histories of upper limbs (5.0%), hip (14.0%), and nonhip lower limbs (4.6%). Among historical single fractures, only prior nonhip lower limbs significantly predicted subsequent fracture (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-4.57). The stepwise method selected the best model, in which a combined historical fracture at upper limbs or nonhip lower limbs (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.30-3.52), dependence, ADL levels, mobility, dementia, weight, and type of nursing home independently predicted subsequent hip fracture.A fracture history at upper or nonhip lower limbs, in combination with other known risk factors, is useful for the prediction of future hip fracture in institutional settings.

Asymmetrical displaced hysteresis loops of cobalt-based amorphous alloys sometimes appear when they are annealed in a magnetic field. The effect of composition and heat treatment conditions on asymmetrical displaced hysteresis loops of cobalt-based amorphous alloys were investigated in this study. As a result, the effect of composition, heat treatment conditions and the magnetic field on the hysteresis loops were clarified, although the cause of the phenomenon has not been resolved.

The chronicity of bronchial asthma is attributed to persistent airway inflammation and to a variety of structural changes, or remodelling, that includes smooth muscle and goblet cell hyperplasia. To investigate the mechanisms of airway remodelling, the current authors used an established allergen (ovalbumin; OVA)-driven rodent model (the Brown Norway rat). Brown Norway rats were sensitised to OVA and challenged three times at 5-day intervals to evoke airway remodelling. The effects of an epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor inhibitor, AG1478, and a cysteinyl leukotriene-1 receptor antagonist, montelukast, on epithelial and airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell proliferation in vivo in response to repeated OVA challenge were tested. Three challenges with leukotriene (LT)D(4) were given, to examine their effects on remodelling with and without AG1478 pretreatment. OVA challenges caused ASM hyperplasia, with an increase in mass, epithelial cell proliferation and goblet cell proliferation. AG1478 prevented the changes, as did montelukast. Multiple OVA challenges increased heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor but not EGF expression by airway epithelium. LTD(4) reproduced the changes in remodelling induced by OVA and this was blocked by AG1478. Allergen-induced airway epithelial and airway smooth muscle remodelling is mediated by cysteinyl leukotrienes via the cysteinyl leukotriene-1 receptor with downstream effects on the epidermal growth factor receptor axis.

In recent years, the industrial researchers have paid attention to the not only position control but also force control. The one target of force control researches is the injection molding machine. The conventional force control system uses the force sensor to detect the inserted force. However, the force control system using force sensor has some problems such as the noise, the frequency band and so on. This paper newly proposes that the reaction torque observer is applied to the injection molding machine using ball screw. The reaction torque observer solves this problem of force sensor. However, it is well-known that the ball screw system has the resonant frequency caused by the torsion phenomenon. Hence, this torsion vibration affects both performances of force control and reaction torque estimation. This paper proposes a new reaction torque observer considering the torsion phenomenon and the friction torque. The proposed reaction torque observer estimates the reaction torque accurately. Moreover, as the outside of proposed reaction torque observer has its friction model, this friction model can be tuned without considering the stability condition of force control feedback system. The validity of proposed force control system is confirmed by the experimental results. This paper realizes the low cost and space-saving injection molding machine by using the proposed force sensor-less control method.

A characteristic of video-on-demand (VoD) service is the concentration of access to a few popular content files within short time intervals. Focusing on this characteristic, this paper proposes the concept of a chunk group to reduce the load of both storage and networks on the VoD server. The fundamental idea of this method is to dynamically form a group for clients demanding the same content file and off-load the VoD server load to the groups of clients. The VoD server delivers content to only one client in a group of clients, and the clients deliver the content among the group using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication. This method manages the distributed cache of the fragment of a content file with the cooperating VoD server and clients to reduce the server load. Also, the method provides a failure recovery mechanism so that, even when a client in the group leaves the delivery network, other clients of the group continue the playback. A performance evaluation based on a simulation is carried out to predict the effectiveness of the method. The results show that, with a 12 MB cache capacity on a client side, the number of delivery clients can be improved by 50% at an average arrival interval of 3 seconds and by 11% at an average arrival interval of 9 seconds.

The magnetic field-induced magnetic anisotropy and thickness dependence of magnetic properties in the nanocrystalline alloy "Finemet" were investigated. Compared with amorphous alloys, it was difficult to induce a magnetic anisotropy in Finemet at low temperatures. However, magnetic anisotropy in Finemet could be easily induced by annealing at temperatures above 700 K, and the anisotropy increased with increasing annealing temperature and time. The magnetic properties of Finemet at high frequencies were improved by decreasing the thickness. This thickness dependence was similar to that for Co-based amorphous alloys. Thin Finemet materials are especially suited for use in magnetic components for use at high frequencies, because of their low core losses and high permeability at high frequencies.

The influence of the Si and B contents and of magnetic field annealing on the magnetic properties of ultrafine crystalline (Fe-Cu 1 -Nb 3 )-Si-B quasi-ternary alloys were studied. An alloy containing 13.5 at% Si and 9 at% B exhibited the best soft magnetic properties. The relative permeability of this alloy at 1 kHz is about 1 × 105. On the other hand, alloys containing about 2 at% Si and 13 at% B show a high flux density of about 1.55 T, and those containing about 17 at% Si and 5 at% B have nearly zero magnetostriction. Magnetic field annealing is very effective for improving the hysteresis curves of these alloys for many applications.

SummaryAccelerator mass spectrometry was performed at the Munich tandem laboratory to determine 36Cl/Cl ratios of samples from a tombstone exposed to neutrons from the Hiroshima bomb. The ratios were determined from the surface to deeper positions. The depth profile of 36Cl/Cl can be used for estimating the neutron energy distribution and intensity near the hypocentre in Hiroshima.

The inter-block evaluation method have is quite effective to further reduce processing time and improve image quality in GA-based binary image halftoning schemes. It increases the accuracy of fitness calculation for individuals by the effect of information sharing between neighbor blocks. In this paper, we try to apply the inter-block evaluation method to GA-based multi-level image halftoning problem and observe the effectiveness of this method. Also, we suggest an indicator of adaptive parameter setting for the variance of Gaussian filter used in the fitness function.

The authors describe a new type of photomultiplier tube (PMT) with fine mesh (FM) dynodes which have exceptional performance in time response and linearity with high gain even under magnetic fields. The PMTs are available not only as a conventional single-anode but also as multi-anode read-outs with very low cross-talk. These FM PMTs show promise as detectors of scintillation and Cerenkov light. >

In High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments, scintillating or optical fibers are used for tracking detectors and sampling calorimeters. As a recent trend, the size of detectors are getting large in accordance with increase of particle energy. It leads to enlargement of readout channels. In addition, the count rate of signals is also increased. In some cases, gas detectors can't be used with a high count rate signal. Multi channel photodetectors with low channel cost are getting necessary in those conditions. Hamamatsu has developed the R5900-00-M64 as one such photodetector to satisfy the above requirement. R5900-00-M64 is a 64 channel multi anode PMT. It uses metal channel dynodes and a 28/spl times/28 mm metal package. Its basic performance are studied and reported in this paper.

In the recent experiments for high energy physics (HEP), luminosity of beams has been increased to achieve the precise measurement. This leads to high countrate environment for photodetectors like photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). Even under such a condition, PMTs are required to be operated stably. To do that, it's important to choose a suitable divider from several kinds of high voltage divider circuits. Countrate stability of PMTs was studied with different types of dividers, which were resistor base, booster base, transistor base (Tr. base) and Cockcroft-Walton base (CW base), to understand the effect of dividers. Booster base and Tr. Base as well as CW base showed no gain deviation up to the average output current of 100 /spl mu/A. On the contrary, resistor base showed gain increase of 30% at the same condition. It was confirmed that booster base, Tr. base and CW base could be suitable dividers for high countrate environment.

In High Energy Physics (HEP) experiment and scintillation counting application, a photodetector, which can cover large area and has small dead space, has been desired. It should be compact and should have multi-anode in some cases. Hamamatsu has developed a Flat Panel Photomultiplier (PMT) to meet the demand. If many of Flat Panel PMTs are placed closely, they can cover large area as one photodetector. The Flat Panel PMT has 51.7/spl times/51.7/spl times/12.4 mm metal package and 8/spl times/8 matrix multi-anode. Some prototypes were made, and it was confirmed that a ratio between external size and useful area was 90% and gain of 3/spl times/10/sup 5/ was achieved. Its structure and basic feature are discussed in this paper.

Respiratory symptoms and hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) among mushroom workers have been well documented. Inhalation of shimeji mushroom (Tricholoma conglobatum) spore has been assumed to be the cause of HP among indoor shimeji cultivating workers. We isolated and partially characterized the allergenic components of shimeji. The sera from 9 HP patients, 10 asymptomatic shimeji workers and 15 normal individuals were examined for shimeji specific IgG and IgA antibodies by ELISA using crude shimeji extract. Shimeji specific IgG- and IgA-antibodies were higher in sera from HP patients than in sera from control subjects. Crude shimeji spore extract was separated and purified by HPLC followed by SDS-PAGE, and their antigenic activity was studied by immunoblotting with a pool of sera from patients. Sera from all HP patients showed IgG and IgA antibody activities to 21, 16 and 14 kD proteins extracted from shimeji spore. The 21 kD protein contained internal peptide amino acid sequence of Gly-Gly-Thr-Val-Ile-Asn-Leu-Leu-Gly, Gln-Arg-Phe-Glu-Glu and Gln-Gly-Ile-Tyr. These results demonstrate that shimeji spore extract contains multiple proteinous components, which have antigenic activity to react with the sera from HP patients among shimeji workers. These proteins may be the potent sensitizing allergens to cause HP among shimeji cultivating workers.