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Background The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a simple tool to assess the nutritional risk and associated with mortality. However, there are no reports focusing GNRI in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of GNRI for long-term survival, cardiovascular and limb events in PAD patients. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed in 1219 PAD patients. Baseline GNRI was calculated from serum albumin level and body-mass-index. The patients were divided into four groups by GNRI level (G1: >98; G2: 92–98; G3: 82–91; G4: Results The median follow-up was 73 months. There were 626 deaths (51.4%) during follow-up. The rate of cardiovascular death among dead was 51.3%. The OS rates markedly depended on GNRI level (p Conclusions GNRI was an independent predictor for OS, MACE, and MACLE in PAD patients. Furthermore,statins improved OS, MACE and MACLE in patients with PAD. more...

In marine aquaculture, fish populations constantly decrease throughout the cultivation period because of mortality and escape. Current production management systems provide limited opportunities to count the cultured fish, making it difficult to estimate accurately the fish population in the cage. To overcome this problem, an automatic fish identifying method based on particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) flow visualization technology is proposed in this paper. The proposed method utilizes an image processing unit that extracts individual fish from the acquired image and a motion analysis unit that calculates the motion vector for each individual. Thus, the accuracy of the extraction results in the image processing unit affects the system’s counting results. To validate the efficiency and robustness of the image extraction performed by the image processing unit, individuals were extracted from images using the open-source image deep learning semantic segmentation method (SegNet), which is able to distinguish between the background and foreground in the images via analysis at the pixel level. SegNet is able to improve the image discrimination performance by multiplying the learning paths, and the robustness of the detection results can be ensured by changing the layer structure according to the detection target. Accordingly, the use of SegNet was evaluated in terms of the number of layers and images in the training set. The results of this study indicate that the application of SegNet with PTV technology represents a promising method for the automatic identifying and behavioral tracking of fish in an aquaculture net cage. more...

In this paper, a 60 GHz CMOS on-chip dipole antenna with loss-reduced silicon substrate, which had been proposed and simulated by the authors, was measured and gain improvement of approximately 9 dB was obtained. In the antenna, rectangular region with 500 μm × 1000 μm around the dipole is irradiated by proton and conductivity is reduced from 10 S/m (10 Ω cm) to 0.1 S/m (1 kΩ cm). Antenna gain of −4 dBi could be achieved. more...

Objectives: The Mycoses Forum in Japan has developed management bundles for candidaemia to incorporate into bedside practice. The aim of this study was to investigate nationwide compliance with the bundles and their impact on clinical outcomes. Methods: Non-neutropenic patients treated with antifungals for candidaemia were surveyed. Bundles consist of nine items to complete. Data were sent to the central office between July 2011 and April 2012. Results: Six hundred and eight patients were analysed. The compliance rate for achieving all elements was 6.9%, and it increased to 21.4% when compliance was analysed by the bundle except for oral switch. There was a significant difference in clinical success between patients with and without compliance [92.9% versus 75.8% (P ¼0.011)]. Compliance with the bundles, however, failed to be an independent factor associated with favourable outcomes. When step-down oral therapy was excluded from the elements of compliance, compliance with the bundles was revealed to be an independent predictor of clinical success (OR 4.42, 95% CI 2.05 –9.52) and mortality (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.13 – 0.57). Independent individual elements contributing to clinical success were removal of central venous catheters within 24 h, assessment of clinical efficacy on the third to the fifth day and at least 2 weeks of therapy after clearance of candidaemia. Conclusions: Compliance with the bundles for candidaemia had a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes. Promotion of the bundles approach may have the potential to narrow the gap between clinical evidence and bedside practice. more...

Structural, optical and spectroscopic properties of Tm3+:Lu2O3 ceramics were studied. CW laser operation at 2068 nm with an output power of up to 34 W and a slope efficiency of 44% was obtained. Q-switched ocsilation with a pulse duration of 100-150 ns and a repetition rate of 1-10 kHz was achieved. Passive mode locking was achieved using an ion-implanted InGaAsSb quantum-well based SESAM or single graphene layer. Transform-limited pulses as short as 180 fs are generated at 2076 nm with an average output power of 400 mW and a pulse repetition frequency of 121.2 MHz. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) more...

Highly transparent Tm:Ho:YAG transparent ceramics were prepared using advanced ceramic technology and their spectroscopic properties were studied for infrared laser applications. Following the Judd-Ofelt procedure several spectroscopic properties such as the radiative transition probability (Arad), radiative decay time (� rad) and fluorescence branching ratio (� ) are quantitatively obtained from the absorption spectrum. The absorption and emission cross sections corresponding to the 5I7 → 5 I8 transition of Ho 3+ at 2.1 � m have been evaluated following Mc Cumber theory and found that the obtained emission spectrum very well correlates to the simulated emission spectral data. The optical gain spectrum spread from 1800 nm to 2150 nm with a spectral width of over 107 nm and maximum gain coefficient of 0.44 cm −1 . Thus it is expected that the Tm 3+ :Ho 3+ :YAG ceramics more...

Background: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a monocyte-derived late-acting inflammatory mediator, which is released in conditions such as shock, tissue injury and endotoxin-induced lethality. In this study, we determined the plasma and hepatic tissue levels of HMGB1 in patients with acute liver failure (ALF). Patients and Methods: We determined the plasma levels of HMGB1 and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 7 healthy volunteers (HVs), 40 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), 37 patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), 18 patients with severe acute hepatitis (AH), and 14 patients with fulminant hepatitis (FH). The 14 patients with FH were divided into two subgroups depending upon the history of plasma exchange (PE) before their plasma sample collection. The hepatic levels of HMGB1 were measured in tissue samples from 3 patients with FH who underwent living-donor liver transplantation and from 3 healthy living donors. Hepatic tissue samples were also subjected to immunohistochemical examination for HMGB1. Results: The plasma levels of HMGB1 (ng/ml) were higher in patients with liver diseases, especially in FH patients with no history of PE, than in HVs (0.3 ± 0.3 in HVs, 4.0 ± 2.0 in LC, 5.2 ± 2.6 in CH, 8.6 ± 4.8 in severe AH, 7.8 ± 2.7 in FH with a history of PE, and 12.5 ± 2.6 in FH with no history of PE, p < 0.05 in each comparison). There was a strong and statistically significant relationship between the mean plasma HMGB1 level and the logarithm of the mean AST level (R = 0.900, p < 0.05). The hepatic tissue levels of HMGB1 (ng/mg tissue protein) were lower in patients with FH than in healthy donors (539 ± 116 in FH vs. 874 ± 81 in healthy donors, p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining for HMGB1 was strong and clear in the nuclei of hepatocytes in liver sections from healthy donors, but little staining in either nuclei or cytoplasm was evident in specimens from patients with FH. Conclusion: We confirmed that plasma HMGB1 levels were increased in patients with ALF. Based on a comparison between HMGB1 contents in normal and ALF livers, it is very likely that HMGB1 is released from injured liver tissue. more...

Transparent yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) polycrystal can be used as a host material for a solid state laser. In the present study, the authors prepared completely transparent YAG ceramics from active powder. The optical and mechanical properties of YAG ceramics are very sensitive to point defects. In order to examine the relationship between these properties and point defects, it is first necessary to characterise the defects. The authors report the effect of doping on oxygen diffusivity in several YAG ceramics, doped with various elements. Although Nd doping slightly increases the oxygen diffusion coefficient and the number of oxygen vacancies increases with increasing Nd concentration in as sintered materials, the variation of the oxygen diffusion coefficient in well annealed samples is small. These results suggest that the oxygen vacancies exist in non-equilibrium. However, grain boundary diffusivity was not influenced by preannealing before the oxygen diffusion experiments. The oxygen defec... more...

Absolute photoabsorption cross sections of C60 thin films are determined in the hν range from 1.3 to 42 eV by using photon attenuation method. The spectrum shows a prominent peak of 1180 Mb at 22.1 eV with several fine structures due to single-electron excitation similarly to the case of C60 in the gas phase. The complex refractive index and complex dielectric function are calculated up to 42 eV through the Kramers–Kronig analyses. From the present data of C60 thin films the cross section curve of a molecular C60 is calculated with an assumption that the polarization effect of surrounding C60 molecules can be expressed by the standard Clausius–Mossotti relation. The spectrum thus obtained shows an excellent agreement with that of C60 in the gas phase measured independently. more...

We report experimental studies on the physical properties of transparent single and polycrystalline Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (YAG) used for laser materials or arc tubes for lamps. The elastic modulus and thermal conductivity of the YAG polycrystal were measured. The Young's modulus of the YAG polycrystal was 308 GPa at room temperature and decreased to 264 GPa at 1400 °C. Thermal conductivity increased with increasing grain size at temperatures below 150 K and was almost independent of grain size at higher temperatures. The thermal conductivity of the YAG polycrystal for a grain size of 7.5 μm was 1.1 W/cm K at 37 K, about seven times lower than that of the single crystal. more...

Homoepitaxial silicon thick films have been deposited by medium pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition at rates as fast as 60 nm/s at temperatures around 700 °C. X-ray scattering measurement was attempted in situ simultaneously during deposition to capture the possible cluster formation in the plasma/substrate boundary. The scattering intensity was found to increase upon injection of SiH 4 gas to Ar plasma. Such an increase in the intensity was pronounced when the epitaxial films were achieved. These potentially suggest that nano sized Si clusters were formed in the boundary region and contributed effectively to the high rate epitaxial growth. more...

Purpose Recent years, CT on rail system was reported to be useful as a tool for image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). This system was clinically developed with the aim of stereotactic irradiation (STI) for brain, lung, liver, prostate and other sites. Quality assurance and quality control (QC) is an important issue in CT on rail system to assure geometric accuracies. The purpose of this study is to estimate the geometric accuracies of our CT on rail system using a detachable micro-multi leaf collimator (mMLC) with new type radiochromic films. Carrying out our original QC program, translational errors, setup reproducibility, beam misalignment and beam characteristics were evaluated. Methods and materials We have studied with CT on rail system (FOCAL unit, Toshiba Medical systems, Tokyo, Japan) and mMLC unit (Accuknife, Direx Inc., Tokyo, Japan). We have developed original alignment phantom and small steel markers (2 mm phi) were implanted on its surface at certain intervals. Firstly, we have evaluated the accuracy of self-moving CT gantry and CT resolutions for cranio-caudal directions by changing slice thickness. And then using the phantom, we have measured the accuracy and reproducibility of geometric isocenter of the linac side and the CT gantry side by scanning the phantom. We have also measured the geometric changes of the common treatment couch by weight-loaded test (up to 135 kgw). To estimate dosimetric and geometric accuracies with the mMLC unit, the misalignment of the beam axes (gantry, collimator and couch rotation axis), mMLC leaf positions, and dose distributions for the verification plan were measured with new type GafChromic films (GafChromic-RTQA, ISP Inc., USA) and cylindrical phantom. The dose characteristics of the GafChromic film were also evaluated. Results The reproducibility of the self-moving CT gantry have a good agreement within 1 mm. Weight-load test have shown a good reliability within 2 mm at the common treatment couch. The translational precision of the common treatment couch was 0.0 +/- 0.1 mm at linac side and -0.2 +/- 0.5 mm at CT gantry side. The misalignments of beam axes have been kept within 0.4 mm at maximum. Gap test have shown the accuracies of the mMLC leaf positions, which is needed to keep within 1 mm by a routine calibration. Conclusions To practice quality control program for the FOCAL unit and the mMLC unit is essential for a regular interval to reduce systematic errors. New type radiochromic film would be useful for a verification tool as alternative to conventional film. more...

Metal contents of sediments in Manila Bay - Laguna Lake watershed in the Philippines were measured and detailed horizontal distribution was obtained. The distribution of zinc and lead concentration in Manila Bay clearly shows the effect of anthropogenic contamination and it was explained by the diffusion of lead and zinc rich anthropogenic particles discharged from Pasig River. The sediments in Laguna Lake were mostly natural particulate matters from surrounding mountains and they contained 20 mgPb/kg and 100 mgZn/kg, while the sediment taken at the heavily polluted branches of the Pasig River contained as high as 88 mgPb/kg and 310 mgZn/kg. The lead and zinc concentrations in the sediments of Manila Bay - Laguna Lake watershed were compared with those in the mouth of the Tama River, Tokyo, where the faster deposition of coarser natural origin particles and slower deposition of lead and zinc rich anthropogenic particles determined the sediment concentration. The comparison was also made with Hanoi City, Vietnam. In spite of the difference in time when leaded gasoline was prohibited, the difference in the lead concentrations of roadside deposits and sediments was not obvious in the vicinity of these three target cities. This is probably due to dilution by a large amount of suspended solids conveyed by the Pasig River in the case of the Philippines. Storm water runoff containing roadside deposits and discharge of untreated wastewater were identified as factors increasing zinc and lead concentrations of sediments in receiving waters based on the measurements on roadside deposits and the estimation of the contribution of untreated wastewater. more...

(+/-)-7beta,8alpha-Dihydroxy-9beta,10beta-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (DE-1) undergoes reaction with anhydrous HCl in dioxane to yield predominantly ( approximately 94%) a single chlorohydrin. This chlorohydrin was assigned structure 9, in which the chloro goup at C-10 is located cis to the C-9 hydroxyl group, on the basis of its (1)H NMR spectrum. This result is in contrast to the reaction of a diastereomeric benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide (DE-2) with HCl, which yields only trans-chlorohydrin 8. The hydrolysis of cis-chlorohydrin 9 in 10:90 dioxane-water solutions yields the same ratio of tetrols ( approximately 89% cis/11% trans) as that formed by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of DE-1. This result again contrasts with the hydrolysis of trans-chlorohydrin 8, which undergoes hydrolysis to give tetrols in a ratio different from that from acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of DE-2. A marked common ion rate depression in the hydrolysis of cis-chlorohydrin 9 is observed, which shows that hydrolysis proceeds via an intermediate carbocation that has a sufficient lifetime to be trapped by external chloride ion. The observation that DE-1 reacts with HCl to give mainly the cis-chlorohydrin is rationalized by quantum chemical calculations that suggest that the cis-chlorohydrin is more stable than the epimeric trans-chlorohydrin. more...

We report on a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Yb: Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ ceramic laser by using a GaAs wafer simultaneously as saturable absorber and output coupler. Mode-locked pulses of 1.1 ps with repetition rate of 125 MHz are achieved. more...

Near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of hexadecafluoro copper phthalocyanine (FCuPc) films (thickness of 50 A) on MoS 2 substrates were observed near the carbon (C) and fluorine (F) K-edges. From the analysis of the dependence of C and F K-edge NEXAFS spectra on the photon incidence angle ( α ), the average molecular tilt angle was determined to be 30°. The lowest and second lowest peaks in the F K-edge NEXAFS were assigned to the transition to σ ∗ . In the ion time-of-flight mass spectra of FCuPc excited by photons near the F K-edge, F + , CF + , and CF 3 + ions were mainly observed. These results indicate that CC bonds as well as CF bonds are broken by the photon irradiation. From the analysis of the partial ion yield spectra of F + and CF + near the F K-edge, the lowest and second lowest peaks in the F K-edge NEXAFS spectra could be assigned to transitions to σ(CF) ∗ and σ(CC) ∗ , respectively. more...

Nd: YAG ceramic materials have been synthesized using vacuum sintering technique with the raw materials prepared by the nano-crystalline methods. The spectroscopic studies suggest overall improvement in absorption and emission and reduction in scattering loss. Judd-Ofelt analysis has been employed to compute the relevant spectroscopic and radiative parameters of the material. The SEM and TEM measurements reveal the excellent optical quality of the ceramic with low pore volume and narrow grain boundary. Fluorescence and Raman measurements reveal that the Nd/sup 3+/-doped YAG ceramic is almost equivalent to its single-crystal counterpart in its radiative and nonradiative properties. Individual Stark levels for /sup 2s+1/L/sub J/ manifolds are obtained from the absorption and fluorescence spectra and are analyzed to identify the stimulated emission channels possible in the Nd: YAG ceramic. Laser performance studies favor the use of high-concentration Nd: YAG ceramics in the design of an efficient microchip laser. With 4 at% Nd: YAG ceramic acting as a microchip laser, we obtained a slope efficiency of 40%. High-power laser experiments yield an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 30% for Nd (0.6 at%):YAG ceramic as compared to 34% for an Nd (0.6 at%):YAG single crystal. The oscillation experiments at 1.3 mm gives a slope efficiency of 35%. Optical gain measurements conducted in these materials also show values comparable to single crystal, supporting that these materials could be suitable substitutes to single crystals in solid-state laser applications. more...

In a Ti-20mass%Mo alloys aged by two steps aging at 623 and 823K, a new phase has been observed. In the first step aging, [Formula: see text] -phase crystals appear and at the second step aging, these crystals disappear and are replaced with the newly discovered phase crystals. Observations in the dark field image and analysis of composition of the new phase crystals have shown that the formation is closely related to the [Formula: see text] -phase structure. The new phase crystals have been also observed in four kinds of [Formula: see text] -type Ti alloys and a ( [Formula: see text] ) type Ti alloy aged at high elevated temperatures. Based on high-resolution electron microscope observations, the atomic structure of the new phase is assumed. more...

Novel benzazepine oxazolidinone antibacterials were synthesized and evaluated against clinically relevant susceptible and resistant organisms. The effect of ring nitrogen position and N-substitution on antibacterial activity is examined. more...

A new and promising group of antibacterial agents, collectively known as the oxazolidinones and exemplified by linezolid (PNU-100766, marketed as Zyvox), have recently emerged as important new therapeutic agents for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Because of their significance, extensive synthetic investigations into the structure-activity relationships of the oxazolidinones have been conducted at Pharmacia. One facet of this research effort has focused on the identification of bioisosteric replacements for the usual oxazolidinone A-ring. In this paper we describe studies leading to the identification of antibacterial agents incorporating a novel isoxazoline A-ring surrogate. In a gratifying result, the initial isoxazoline analogue prepared was found to exhibit in vitro antibacterial activity approaching that of the corresponding oxazolidinone progenitor. The synthesis and antibacterial activity profile of a preliminary series of isoxazoline analogues incorporating either a C-C or N-C linkage between their B- and C-rings will be presented. Many of the analogues exhibited interesting levels of antibacterial activity. The piperazine derivative 54 displayed especially promising in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy comparable to the activity and efficacy of linezolid. more...

The electrode properties of manganese dioxides prepared by the reduction with various reagents were examined. The particle size and morphology depended on reducing agents. Some samples obtained were aggregated round particles of submicron order and the others were fine needle-like shape of a few nanometers in width and several tens of nanometers in length. The former showed around 200 mA h/g, while the later showed high capacity of 500 mA h/g in the open circuit voltage (OCV) measurements until 1 V (vs. Li). The cell assembled with Li anode showed a good cycle performance in the range of 3.9–2.0 V with a capacity of 150 mA h/g. more...

We present an optical and near-infrared study of a 45' × 45' field in NGC 2264, which includes both S Mon and the Cone Nebula. We report photometry at optical (UBVRCIC) and near-infrared (JHK) wavelengths for ~5600 stars and spectroscopic classifications for ~400 of these stars. We identify circumstellar disk candidates using three techniques: excess ultraviolet (U-V) emission, excess near-IR (I-K and H-K) emission, and Hα emission-line equivalent widths for those stars with spectra. We find generally good correlation between disk indicators thought to originate from different physical processes. We find little if any evolution of disk fraction with stellar age or mass. However, when we derive mass accretion rates () from the excess emission at U, we find that decreases with age over the age range spanned by our data, ~0.1–5 Myr, and increases with mass over the range ~0.25–1 M⊙. These findings are comparable to results found previously by us in the Orion Nebula cluster flanking fields. more...

The amorphous manganese dioxides were prepared by reduction method using various reagents. The particle size and morphology depended on reducing agents, some of which were aggregated round particles of sub micron order, and the others were small fine fibers like of a few nm in width and several tens nm in length. The former showed low Li-insertion capacity of around 200 mAhg−1, while the latter material showed high capacity of 500 mAhg−1 in the OCV measurements until 1 V vs. Li. The as-prepared MnO2 contains some amount of water in the structure. The H2O-free MnO2 obtained by heat-treatment under high oxygen pressure was inferior in electrode property to MnO2 containing water in the structure. The H2O content related to the electrode performance. more...

Important resistance patterns in Gram-negative pathogens include active efflux of antibiotics out of the cell via a cellular pump and decreased membrane permeability. A 3-arylpiperidine derivative (1) has been identified by high-throughput assay as a potentiator with an IC(50) approximately 90 microM. This report details the evaluation of the tether length, aryl substitution and the importance of the fluorine on antibiotic accumulation. Evaluation of various tether lengths demonstrated that the two-carbon tethered analogues are optimal. Removal of the fluorine has a modest effect on antibiotic accumulation and the defluorinated analogue 17 is equally potent to the original lead 1. more...

The rates and products of the reactions of (+/-)-7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9beta,10beta-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (1) and (+/-)-7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha,10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (2) in water and dioxane-water mixtures have been determined over a pH range wider than that of earlier studies. This study provides additional insight on the mechanisms of the pH-independent reactions of 1 and 2. The rate profile for reaction of 1 shows acid-catalyzed hydrolysis at pH5, a rate plateau at pH 5-9.5, a negative inflection at pH 10-11.5, and a rate increase at pH11.5. The rate decrease between pH 10 and pH 11.5 is accompanied by a decrease in the yield of tetrols from 60% (pH 8) to 29% (pH 11.2) and is interpreted to be the result of a partial change in mechanism brought about by attack of hydroxide ion acting as a base to deprotonate a carbocation intermediate and regenerate 1 at pH10, thus reducing the contribution of the pathway for tetrol formation in which water attacks the carbocation. The rate profile for the reaction of 2 exhibits only a single rate plateau at intermediate pH, along with increases in rate at low and high pH because of second-order reactions of 2 with H+ and HO-, respectively. The lack of a rate depression at pH10 and the product studies for the reaction of 2 in dilute sodium azide solutions suggest that the tetrol-forming reactions of the pH-independent reaction of 2 are concerted or near-concerted. more...

Studies of the chemical vapour deposition of diamond films at growth rates > 100 μm h-1 with a 10-kW DC-arc jet system are described. Additions of small amounts of N2 to the standard CH4/H2/Ar feedstock gas results in strong CN(B → X) emission, and quenches C2(d → a) and Hα emissions from the plasma. Species selective, spatially resolved optical emission measurements have enabled derivation of the longitudinal and lateral variation of emitting C2, CN radicals and H (n = 3) atoms within the plasma jet. Scanning electron microscopy and laser Raman analyses indicate that N2 additions also degrade both the growth rate and quality of the deposited diamond film; the latter technique also provides some evidence for nitrogen inclusion within the films. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. more...

Simultaneous determination of total boron and carbon on the surface of high-purity silicon plate was made possible by activation with the 10B(d,n)11C and 12C(d,n)13N reactions followed by chemical separation, in which the surface layer is dissolved in polyphosphoric acid containing I2O5 for the 11C and 13N to be volatilized into a helium stream and then trapped in Ascarite and titanium sponge columns, respectively. It takes about 20 minutes for the chemical separation. The detection limit is 1·1012 atoms/cm2 for both B and C. Some preliminary experiments were undertaken for utilizing this analysis to the monitoring of air pollution, with the silicon plate as a passive sampler. more...

A series of new nitrogen-carbon-linked (azolylphenyl)oxazolidinone antibacterial agents has been prepared in an effort to expand the spectrum of activity of this class of antibiotics to include Gram-negative organisms. Pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, triazole, and tetrazole moieties have been used to replace the morpholine ring of linezolid (2). These changes resulted in the preparation of compounds with good activity against the fastidious Gram-negative organisms Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. The unsubstituted pyrrolyl analogue 3 and the 1H-1,2,3-triazolyl analogue 6 have MICs against H. influenzae = 4 microgram/mL and M. catarrhalis = 2 microgram/mL. Various substituents were also placed on the azole moieties in order to study their effects on antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. Interesting differences in activity were observed for many analogues that cannot be rationalized solely on the basis of sterics and position/number of nitrogen atoms in the azole ring. Differences in activity rely strongly on subtle changes in the electronic character of the overall azole systems. Aldehyde, aldoxime, and cyano azoles generally led to dramatic improvements in activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria relative to unsubstituted counterparts. However, amide, ester, amino, hydroxy, alkoxy, and alkyl substituents resulted in no improvement or a loss in antibacterial activity. The placement of a cyano moiety on the azole often generates analogues with interesting antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, the 3-cyanopyrrole, 4-cyanopyrazole, and 4-cyano-1H-1,2,3-triazole congeners 28, 50, and 90 had S. aureus MICs more...

The optical properties of LiNbO3 are discussed by considering the dipole interaction among the ions and also the aspect of electronic polarizability of the respective ions. The origin of the birefringence, electrooptic and elastooptic effects is also discussed. more...

A large area (63.6 mm/spl times/64 mm) n-on-n silicon strip detector was fabricated, implementing various p-stop structures in the n-side. The detectors were characterized in laboratory and in beam tests. The inter-strip capacitance showed features in which the individual p-stop structure had the longest tail toward saturation. The beam tests showed other p-stop structures collected more charge in the mid-strip region than the individual p-stop structure. In addition, there was a source which lost or spread charge and induced noise where the over-depletion was insufficient. more...

Rates of reaction of (+/-)-7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha, 10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (DE-2) have been determined in 1:9 dioxane-water solutions containing 1.0 M KCl, 0.5 M KBr, and 0.1 M NaI over the pH range 4-13. These pH-rate profiles are more complicated than those for reaction of DE-2 in 0.2 M NaClO4 solutions and are interpreted in part by mechanisms in which halide ion attacks the diol epoxide as a nucleophile at intermediate pH, resulting in the formation of a trans-halohydrin. Reaction of DE-2 in these halide solutions at pH 12, the rate of reaction of DE-2 increases due to a second-order reaction of HO- with DE-2. more...

“Notching,” which is a kind of local side etching caused by charging of pattern structures, is a serious obstacle to achieving tight critical dimension (CD) control in fabrication beyond quarter micron devices. Although sidewall protection with increased polymer deposition on the sidewall can reduce notching, it tends to enhance the so-called proximity effect, which is the variation of etched profiles observed when the pattern spacing is varied. Therefore, notching has to be suppressed without extra sidewall protection to achieve tight CD control. To solve this problem, we studied the effects of rf bias frequency for both continuous mode and pulse modulated mode electron cyclotron resonance plasma sources with divergent magnetic fields, and found out that lowering the bias frequency can reduce the notching by itself. We found that the notch depth is markedly decreased by lowering the bias frequency from 13.56 MHz to 400 kHz under most conditions. In continuous mode plasma, however, this improvement become... more...

The rates of reaction of (±)-7β,8α-Dihydroxy-9α,10α-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (1) in 1:9 dioxane−water buffer solutions containing primary amines whose pKa values span the range of 5.4−10.7 have been determined. For those amines with pKa values ca. 8, both acid and base forms of the buffer react with 1. The magnitude of the kinetic term in the base form of the amine (RNH2) increases with amine pKa and is attributed to nucleophilic addition of the amine to the epoxide group. Curvatures in plots of the kinetic term due to buffer (kbuff)... more...

Linezolid (formerly U-100766) and eperezolid (formerly U-100592) are novel oxazolidinone antimicrobial agents that are active against multi-drug-resistant staphylococci, streptococci, enterococci, corynebacteria, and mycobacteria. Preliminary studies also demonstrated that the compounds inhibited some test strains of anaerobic bacteria. Therefore, we extended the in vitro evaluation of these agents to include a total of 54 different anaerobic species. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined using a standard agar dilution method for 143 anaerobic bacterial isolates. Eperezolid and linezolid demonstrated potent activity against the anaerobic Gram-positive organisms with most MIC values in the range of 0.25-4 microg/mL. Viridans streptococci demonstrated MICs of 1-2 microg/mL; Peptostreptococcus species and Propionibacterium species were inhibited by more...

Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer has been widely used in gene therapy for congenital metabolic, cardiovascular, and malignant diseases. It has been reported that a gene transfer technique into transplanted organs may suppress rejection reactions and inhibit preservation injury. However, the magnitude of transgene expression in organs preserved at a cold temperature remains to be determined. In this study, we compared the transgene expression using vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-mediated adenoviral vector at cold versus warm temperatures alone and combined with hyperbaric oxygen in cold-preserved organs. The transgene expression by porcine endothelial cells transduced with adenoviral vector was significantly higher after a 24 hour-incubation at warm temperature than after a 1 hour-incubation with warm or cold temperature. Moreover, the transgene expression of after a 1-hour incubation at cold temperature was significantly lower than a 1-hour incubation at warm temperature. The VEGFR-mediated adenoviral vector augmented transgene expression during a 1-hour incubation at cold temperature compared to the control vector. A/J skin graft survival in C3H mice was significantly prolonged compared to control or standard vector with CTLA4Ig cDNA using VEGFR-mediated adenoviral vector with CTLA4Ig cDNA in a 1-hour cold preservation. Furthermore, combined use of VEGFR-mediated adenoviral vector with CTLA4Ig cDNA plus FK506 showed an augmented effect on graft prolongation. It is concluded that adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in 1-hour cold-preserved organ is difficult compared to that in the warm condition. However, VEGFR-mediated gene transfer can augment the transgene expression in 1-hour cold-preserved organs, followed by the effective suppression of rejection reactions in allogeneic transplantation. more...

Summary form only given. Solid-state lasers at 2.1 μm having many applications for medical surgery, atmospheric wind lidar, gas detection, material processing and pumping of mid-IR optical parametric oscillators are attracting great interest in the last years. Tm- and Ho-doped sesquioxides (Tm3+:Lu2O3, Tm3+:Sc2O3, Ho: 3+:Lu2O3 and others) having an extraordinary long-wavelength 2-μm luminescence band and a high thermal conductivity open up new opportunities for highly efficient laser generation at around 2.1 μm [1]. Transparent laser ceramic materials are attracting great interest as a substitute for the single crystals. Recently, the high-quality sesquioxides ceramics doped by Nd3+ or Yb3+ ions have demonstrated good potential for the efficient laser oscillation. This presentation is an overview of our investigations of the 2.1- μm lasers based on the novel Tm3+:Lu2O3 ceramics with diode or laser pumping at 796 or 810 nm [2-6].Structural, optical and spectroscopic properties of novel Tm3+:Lu2O3 ceramics, produced by “Konoshima Chemicals Co.” (Japan), were studied [2-4]. The average grain size is determined to be ~ 0.55 μm. The absorption spectra show good opportunities for diode or laser pumping at 796 nm and 811 nm. The ceramics have high mid-IR transmittance of up to 7 μm. Strong luminescence lines centered at 1942 nm, 1965 nm and 2066 nm were detected. The thermal conductivity and the thermal index gradient of the ceramics were determined (by kinetic-resolvable interferometric and grating testing methods) to be comparable with the single crystal [4]. 2.1-μm laser-oscillators based on Tm3+:Lu2O3 ceramics pumped by 796-nm or 810-nm laser diodes were created and studied [2,3]. CW operation with average power of ~ 35W and optical-to-optical efficiency of ~ 34% and the slope efficiency (with respect to absorbed power) of ~ 44% was demonstrated. The oscillations wavelength was tuned in spectrum region of 2060 - 2098 nm. 1-10 kHz periodically-pulsed generation was realized by active Q-switching (by a quartz acousto-optic modulator). The average power of the Q-switched radiation reached 7 W, corresponding peak power was up to 10 kW. Cr2+:ZnSe saturable absorber was also investigated as an passive Q-switcher of the ceramics lasers. An ion-implanted InGaAsSb quantum-well-based SESAM was applied for realization of the passive modelocking oscillations in the Tm3+:Lu2O3-ceramic lasers [5]. Transform-limited pulses as short as 180 fs were generated at 2076 nm with an average output power of 400 mW and a pulse repetition frequency of 121.2 MHz. An output power up to 750 mW was reached at the longer pulse duration of 382 fs. Femtosecond pulse generation tuned in 2030-2100 nm spectral range was realized. A single-layer graphene was used also for mode-locking in the ceramics Tm:Lu2O3 laser [6]. The transformlimited 410 fs pulses with a spectral width 11.1 nm at 2067 nm were registered. The maximum average output power was 270 mW, at a pulse repetition frequency of 110 MHz. This is a convenient high-power transform-limited ultrafast laser at 2 μm for various applications, such as laser surgery and material processing. more...

Various electron-withdrawing groups were incorporated into the meta position of tropone-substituted 3-phenyl-2-oxazolidinones and their influence on antibacterial activity examined. Consideration of in vitro and in vivo test results indicated that one or two fluorine atoms flanking the para tropone appendage is the optimum arrangement for these compounds. Synthetic routes to enantiomerically enriched analogues are reported. more...

In murine contact photosensitivity, a cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, preirradiation of the photosensitization site with UVB induced Ag-specific, afferent limb-acting, CD4+CD8- suppressor T cells (Ts). The present study examined usage of TCR V beta and production of immunosuppressive cytokines in Ts propagated in vitro. Spleen cells from UVB-preirradiated, 3,3',4',5- tetracholorosalicylanilide (TCSA)-photosensitized mice were stimulated with 3000-rad-irradiated lymph node cells (LNC) from TCSA/UVA-sensitized mice (LNCTCSA) in the presence of rIL-t. After several rounds of antigenic stimulation, a T cell line (B+TCL) consisted exclusively of CD3+CD4+CD8- V beta 7+ and V beta 13+ populations. Transfer to naive recipients of B+TCL treated with anti-V beta mAb plus complement revealed that the V beta 7+ cells suppressed both the in vivo and the in vitro aspects of contact photosensitivity to TCSA in an Ag-specific manner. The in vitro suppressive activity of B+TCL was neutralized by anti-IL-10 mAb, but not by anti-IL-4 mAb, indicating a crucial role of IL-10 in UBV-induced suppression. Upon stimulation with 3000-rad-irradiated-LNCTCSA, B+TCL released IL-4 and IL-10 but not IL-2, and V beta 7+ cells produced IL-10. The reverse transcriptase-PCR detected mRNA for IL-4 and IL-10 but not that for IL-2, IFN-gamma, or TGF-beta in B+TCL stimulated with or without concanavalin A. In accordance with the findings in B+TCL, spleen cells from UVB preirradiation plus TCSA/UVA mice contained V beta 7+ T cells that suppressed contact photosensitivity to TCSA and produced substantial amounts of IL-4 that provided a microenvironment for Th2 cell generation. We conclude that UVB preirradiation and photosensitization result in the generation of V beta 7+ Th2 cells that suppress contact photosensitivity by releasing IL-10. The dysfunction of effector Th1 cells underlying UVB suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity seems to be due not only to altered APC function but also to counteraction of Th2 cells by Th1 cells. more...