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Aim The present study examined the effect of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cognitive appraisal of IBS, and anxiety sensitivity on anticipatory anxiety (AA) and agoraphobia (AG) in patients with panic disorder (PD). Methods We examined 244 PD patients who completed a set of questionnaires that included the Rome II Modular Questionnaire to assess the presence of IBS, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the Cognitive Appraisal Rating Scale (CARS; assessing the cognitive appraisal of abdominal symptoms in four dimensions: commitment, appraisal of effect, appraisal of threat, and controllability), and items about the severity of AA and AG. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to diagnose AG and PD. Results After excluding individuals with possible organic gastrointestinal diseases by using ‘red flag items,’ valid data were obtained from 174 participants, including 110 PD patients without IBS (PD/IBS[–]) and 64 with IBS (PD/IBS[+]). The PD/IBS[+] group had higher AA and higher comorbidity with AG than the PD/IBS[–] group. In the PD/IBS[+] group, the controllability score of CARS was significantly correlated with AA and ASI. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant effect of ASI but not of controllability on AA in PD/IBS[+] subjects. Conclusion This study suggested that the presence of IBS may be related to agoraphobia and anticipatory anxiety in PD patients. Cognitive appraisal could be partly related to anticipatory anxiety in PD patients with IBS with anxiety sensitivity mediating this correlation.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of mechanical treatment, namely, nanometer smoothing (Ra: approximately 2.0 nm) and sandblasting (Ra: approximately 1.0 μm), as well as biochemical treatment, namely, fibronectin immobilization, of a titanium surface on osteoblast-like cell behavior. Cell proliferation was monitored by measurements of DNA content and ALP activity; osteocalcin production and mineralization behavior were also evaluated, in addition to morphological observation of attached cells. Fibronectin could be immobilized by the tresyl chloride-activation method. A sandblasted surface resulted in significantly more DNA than a nanometer-smooth surface, but fibronectin immobilization did not result in a significant increase of DNA at 52 days of cell culture. The nanometer-smooth surface showed highest ALP activity and osteocalcin production. FN immobilization decreased ALP activity for the nanometer-smooth surface, but increased it for the sandblasted surface. The nanometer-smooth surface also showed the highest osteocalcin production. Scanning electron microscopy showed interesting phenomena of the attached cells. Attached cell area was more rapidly increased on the nanometer-smooth surface than on the sandblasted surface. It was suggested that cultured cells on the nanometer-smooth surface began to spread earlier and that the proportion of spreading cells among total attached cells increased sooner on the nanometer-smooth surface than on the sandblasted rough surface. It appeared that FN immobilization influenced the arrangement of attached cells. In conclusion, the nanometer-smooth surface employed in the present study was beneficial for the differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. FN immobilization influenced the morphologies of attached cells. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 2012.

The energy loss distribution of beta+ particles is closely related to their maximum penetration depth distribution and annihilation point distribution. The latter is of practical importance for positron emission tomography. Experimental data related to the energy loss distribution are important for comprehensive validation of physics and simulation models of beta+ interactions. In this paper the authors present a new experimental approach that allows them to visually observe the beta+ energy loss distribution of a solution of nuclear medicine radioisotopes in a plastic scintillator using an optical camera. The authors also report a set of the first experimental results. A water solution of 18F was localized in a small hole in a plastic scintillator (BC430). Optical imaging of the scintillator yielded visual images of the energy loss distribution with a submillimeter resolution. The radial dependence in the energy distribution was quantitatively measured by analysis of the images, and exponential fitting parameters were obtained. The authors observed that the results of Monte Carlo simulation with EGS5 (version 1.0.2) and GEANT4 (version 4.9.01.p01) were consistent with those obtained experimentally. The results of the Monte Carlo simulation indicated that for a linear scale, the energy loss distribution in the scintillator was approximately the same as that in water, and the relative shape of the energy loss distribution was close to those of the maximum penetration depth distribution and annihilation point distribution. This paper also presents discussions about the further possibilities of this optical imaging approach. Thus, optical observation of the beta+ energy loss distribution in a scintillator is a promising technique for visual and quantitative experimental studies of beta+ emission from a solution of radioisotopes that are used in nuclear medicine.

Self-etching primer adhesives have recently been introduced to simplify bonding. However, the fundamental bonding mechanism of self-etching primers to enamel is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate resin-enamel bonds of self-etching primer adhesives on ground enamel. Two self-etching primer adhesives (Clearfil Liner Bond 2 V and Clearfil SE Bond) were used in this study. A total-etch adhesive (One-Step) was used as a control. Resin-enamel beams were subjected to the microtensile bond test. Subsequently, the failure modes of all specimens were quantified using image analysis. Undemineralized and demineralized ultrathin sections of the resin-enamel bonded specimens were examined using transmission electron microscopy. The bond strengths of Clearfil SE Bond (39.8 +/- 11.9 MPa) and One-Step (46.2 +/- 12.7 MPa) were significantly greater than that of Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (30.4 +/- 6.2 MPa). Scanning electron microscopy of the fractured surfaces revealed the failure direction and weakest portion within each bond. Transmission electron microscopy showed a thin hybridized complex of resin in enamel produced by the self-etching primers without the usual micrometer-sized resin tags seen in resin-enamel bonds produced using the total-etch adhesive. The morphological features of the resin-enamel bonds produced by two self-etching primers tested were different from that created with the total-etch adhesive.

A 640 Gbit/s OTDM (Optical Time Division Multiplexed) signal using femtosecond optical pulses was successfully transmitted over a distance of 101 km. As a signal light source, a regenerative mode-locked fiber laser that generates 10-GHz pulses with a small jitter was used. The transmission path consists of a zero-dispersion dispersion-flattened transmission line 101 km long made of a combination of a 1.3-µm zero-dispersion single-mode fiber, a dispersion-shifted fiber, and a reverse dispersion fiber. The 640 Gbit/s OTDM signal after transmission was demultiplexed by means of an ultra-high-speed nonlinear optical loop mirror with a fiber length of 450 m in which walk-off between the signal light and the control light was reduced. The reverse dispersion fiber in the transmission path had smaller polarization dispersion than both the dispersion slope compensation fiber previously used for compensation of the dispersion slope compensation and the 1.3-µm zero-dispersion single-mode fiber. In addition, the wavelength dependence of its dispersion is small. © 2002 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 85(5): 48–56, 2002

A low-threshold, single-frequency fiber laser was achieved without feedback control. This laser was a narrow linewidth fiber ring laser operating in the 1.55-μm regime and pumped by 1.48-μm InGaAsP laser diodes. Mode-hopping instabilities and multiwavelength oscillation due to spatial and polarization hole burning were eliminated by the use of an ultra-narrowband fiber Bragg grating and a polarization-dependent isolator. The laser exhibited stable single-frequency operation at all pump powers. The maximum output power was 1 mW, and the linewidth was less than 20 kHz. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 82(5): 21–29, 1999

In order to realize ultrafast optical communication in the future, it is necessary to develop a stable short pulse optical source that can be operated in the GHz frequency band. This paper reports the oscillation characteristic of a stable, harmonically and regeneratively mode-locked, fiber laser. This laser can produce stable pulses with a repetition rate of 10 GHz, a pulse width of 1.0 to 3.0 ps and a wavelength of 1.55 μm. Using this laser and a dispersion decreasing erbidium (Er)-doped fiber amplifier, femtosecond pulses with a wavelength of 1.55 μm, a pulse width of 170 to 250 fs and a repetition rate of 10 GHz were generated. Using an optical fiber amplifier with a much higher output power, the average optical output of 0.53 W was obtained, where the peak power of the femtosecond optical pulse was as high as 190 W. Using the 10 GHz femtosecond pulses with high power, pulses with eight wavelengths were generated where wavelengths were between 1.552 and 1.559 μm, and the pulse width and repetition rate were 16 to 17 ps and 80 GHz, respectively. This light source is expected to play an important role in multi-wavelength optical communication. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 80(7): 56–63, 1997

An erbium-doped fiber laser with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror pumped by 1.48-μm laser diodes was fabricated. A 290-femtosecond (fs) short pulse was obtained successfully from this laser. The oscillation wavelength was 1.56 μm and the output peak power was as high as 16 W when the pump power was 20 mW. The oscillation threshold was about 50 mW. However, once the laser started oscillation, it continued to oscillate even when the pump power was 10 mW. The repetition rate of the output pulses changed randomly from 5 MHz (fundamental repetition rate) to 2 GHz and could not be controlled. However, using a subring cavity with a length which is 1/n that of the main cavity (n is an integer), a constant pulse repetition rate of 125 MHz was obtained.

Three new azaphilones, named luteusins C, D, and E, were isolated from an Ascomycete, Talaromyces luteus, together with luteusins A and B (previous tentative designations : TL-1 and -2, respectively), which had formerly been isolated as monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibitory azaphilones from the fungus. The new compounds had no MAO-inhibitory activity.

Four new azaphilones, named helicusins A, B, C, and D, were isolated from an Ascomycete, Talaromyces helicus. Helicusins A and B were deduced to be (7S,13S)-7-deacetyl-7-epi-sclerotiorin-7-yl hydrogen 3'-methyl-2'E-pentenedioate and its 2'Z isomer, and helicusins C and D were deduced to be (7S,13S)-7-deacetyl-7-epi-sclerotiorin-7-yl hydrogen 3'-methyl-3'Z-pentenedioate and its 3'E isomer, respectively, on the basis of chemical and spectral data. These four new azaphilones showed weak monoamine oxidase-inhibitory effects.

Absolute configurations at positions 2' and 5' in the two new azaphilones, luteusins C and D, from an Ascomycete, Talaromyces luteus, have been revised to (R) and (S) from (S) and (R), respectively.