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The Saccharomyces cerevisiae VIG9 gene encodes GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase, which synthesizes GDP-mannose from GTP and mannose-1-phosphate. Although the null mutant was lethal, the vig9 mutants so far obtained showed no growth defect but immature protein glycosylation and drug hypersensitivity. During our search for cell-wall mutants, we found a novel temperature-sensitive mutant, JS30, which required an osmotic stabilizer for viability. JS30 excreted cell surface proteins in the medium without any indication of cell lysis. Although conventional genetic analysis using mating was impossible, by detailed characterization of JS30 including an in vitro enzyme assay and nucleotide sequencing, we found the defect of JS30 was due to a mutation in the VIG9 gene. These results indicated a critical role of GDP-mannose in maintenance of cell-wall integrity.

A method to mitigate the SAR data interfered by the ground radars is introduced. This filtering method suppresses the interfered component of SAR raw data using the statistical power spectrum analysis. The filtered SAR raw data is shown well correlated and to be useful.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the human knee is known to exhibit as large as 10-20% of strain in association with knee flexion, while usual Hookean elastic materials exhibit at most 0.3%. Furthermore the complex ACL in shape deforms in highly variable manners due to the complicated three-dimensional (3-D) movements of the insertions in association with knee flexion. Such large and highly variable deformations of the ACL cannot be adequately quantified by one-dimensional (1-D) and/or localized measurements. In order to measure strains over the entire area of the ACL, the authors employed the photoelastic coating method to analyze stress on the basis of the strains. A specific kind of polyurethane possessing optically high fringe-sensitivity was found to be most suitable for measurement purposes. From the preliminary experiments, it was found that a linear relation with 99% of correlation coefficient between the birefringence order and the strain on the polyurethane film continued up to 45% of strain. This study was done in two steps. In the first step, a study was done using a unique model of a knee joint fabricated in a way which allowed deformation and strain distribution in the model ACL to be directly observed and measured by means of the photoelastic coating method. It was confirmed that the film, having negligible effect on the mechanical properties of some biological soft tissues, closely reflected the strain behavior of the tissue. Thus in the second step, the photoelastic method was employed to measure the strains on an actual ACL during free flexion-extension of the knee. A specially designed apparatus was used to allow a natural motion of the knee. The photoelastic measurements demonstrated the potential utility of the application to measuring strain distributions not only on a model ligament but also on an actual ligament. The measurement of an actual ACL led the following results: the principal strain lines well depicted its fiber directions; a reciprocal function between the anterior and posterior bundles was observed; and there was a zero-strain area on the central and posterior sides near the tibial insertion.

The nascent surfaces of steel were formed by scratching mechanically under high vacuum conditions and adsorption and decomposition of formic acid on the surfaces were carried out at room temperature. The changes in partial pressures of the related compounds were monitored with a quadruple mass spectrometer. The results showed that the chemisorption rate of formic acid on the nascent surfaces was much higher than the formation rate of the reaction products, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The analyses of adsorption and desorption activities of the compounds on (from) the nascent surfaces showed that the desorption activity of the products were as high as about 20 times the adsorption activity of formic acid. It is proposed that two types of sites might exist on the nascent surfaces. Although the active sites on the nascent surfaces could chemisorb formic acid molecules, only a portion could contribute to the decomposition of formic acid.

A relative measurement of total cross-sections is reported for polyethylene, marble, iron, and lead targets for the inclusive charged-current reaction nu(mu) + N --> mu- + X. The targets, passive blocks of similar to100 kg each, were exposed simultaneously to the CERN SPS wide-band muon-neutrino beam over a period of 18 weeks. Systematic effects due to differences in the neutrino flux and detector efficiency for the different target locations were minimised by changing the position of the four targets on their support about every two weeks. The relative neutrino fluxes on the targets were monitored within the same experiment using charged-current interactions in the calorimeter positioned directly downstream of the four targets. From a fit to the Z/A dependence of the total cross-sections a value is deduced for the effective neutron-to-proton cross-section ratio.

Excess salt intake increases blood pressure (BP). Identifying individuals with excess salt intake is, therefore, important for the prevention of hypertension.To examine the predictive value of subjective evaluation of salty foods intake for the risk of incident hypertension in a middle-aged population.A total of 970 non-hypertensive workers (mean age, 44 ± 6 years) was followed for a maximum period of 4 years, and their BP was measured annually. At baseline, all participants were asked about their subjective frequency of salty foods intake (seldom, sometimes or always), and they were divided into three groups according to their answers. Hypertension was defined as systolic/diastolic BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive medications.There were no significant differences in the 4-year cumulative incident rate of hypertension among the 'seldom', 'sometimes' and 'always' groups (15.8%, 14.3% and 10.3%, respectively, log-rank test P = 0.44). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, age, body mass index and the baseline BP category were independent predictors for developing hypertension, whereas the frequency of salty foods intake was not a predictor (adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval), 0.99 (0.64-1.54) in the 'sometimes' group and 0.64 (0.33-1.28) in the 'always' group as compared with the 'seldom' group).The subjective evaluation of salty foods intake did not predict the 4-year risk of incident hypertension in this study population. Further investigations with a longer follow-up period are needed to clarify whether the present insignificant results are maintained for more than 4 years.

The alleged poor sinterability of (doped) ceria was studied for the application as a fuel cell solid electrolyte, and a solution has been proposed. Yttria doped ceria (YDC) powder Ce{sub 0.667}Y{sub 0.333}O{sub 1.833} was prepared by oxalate coprecipitation through addition of a concentrated yttrium-cerium nitrate solution to a dilute aqueous on of a concentrated oxalic acid solution at neutral pH. The precipitate was washed with alcohol and calcined at 700 C. Coprecipitation conditions were critical for the quality of the resulting oxide powder, of which the average particle size was a key parameter. Compacted into pellets, relative densities attained >95% and >98% of theoretical after firing for 4 hours at 1,300 C and 1,500 C respectively. Sample ``embedding`` with YDC powder further improved the final density. Standard conductivity behavior of the samples was observed. The powder could equally be tape cast and sintered to dense films.

It has been reported that ibuprofen interferes with the antiplatelet effect of low-dose aspirin. This interaction is ascribed to steric hindrance at the active site of cyclooxygenase-1 by ibuprofen, when aspirin is administered after ibuprofen. However, whether other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) interact with aspirin similarly is not well defined. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of nine NSAIDs on the antiplatelet effect of aspirin.We investigated the antiplatelet effect of NSAIDs using steady-state plasma concentration reported after usual doses. We studied the in vitro antiplatelet effect of NSAID alone, aspirin alone, aspirin before NSAID addition and aspirin after NSAID addition to platelet-rich plasma. The rates of platelet aggregation induced by collagen were determined. The final concentration of aspirin used was the 50% effective concentration (EC(50)) previously estimated in vitro.Ibuprofen and mefenamic acid interfere with the antiplatelet effect of aspirin when added before the latter. The rate of platelet aggregation was reduced by 48·1% and 22·7%, respectively. The other NSAIDs tested did not significantly affect the aspirin antiplatelet effect when exposure was prior to aspirin. None of the nine NSAIDs altered the aspirin effect if administration followed that of aspirin.Naproxen and flurbiprofen have significant antiplatelet effects at plasma concentrations seen with usual doses. Our in vitro model suggests that the antiplatelet effect of aspirin is significantly diminished when taken after, but not before, ibuprofen or mefenamic acid. None of the other NSAIDs tested had any effect irrespective of the timing of dosing.

Stabilized zirconia (ZrO2) is recognized as the major candidate for the electrolyte material of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) owing to its high ionic conductivity and chemical stability. The ionic conductivity originates from the oxygen vacancies introduced by doping 2+ or 3+ valence cations on the Zr4+ site. The conductivity shows the maximum at a certain dopant concentration. Although stabilized zirconia is a dominantly ionic conductor, electronic conductivity is not completely zero. Taking into account both the ionic and the electronic conductivities, the optimum electrolyte thickness is calculated to be 10–100 µm when the current density of 0.1–1 A cm−2 is generated at 1000 °C. Electrode materials should have high catalytic activity, high electronic conductivity, and high chemical and morphological stability. Currently, (La,Sr)MnO3 and Ni–YSZ cermet are the most popular cathode and anode, respectively. The crystal lattice of (La,Sr)MnO3 has a distorted perovskite type structure. The symmetry varies with oxygen partial pressure and temperature. Electrical conductivity of La1−xSrxMnO3 (x = 0–0.4) ranges from 100 to 300 S cm−1 at 1000 °C in air. Oxygen diffusion coefficient is 10−12 cm2 s−1, which is not enough to supply oxygen via the electrode bulk diffusion. Although catalytic activity is lower than a mixed conductor oxides such as (La,Sr)CoO3, (La,Sr)MnO3 has higher compatibility with YSZ electrolyte. Nickel is a superior catalyst for the electrochemical and chemical reactions when hydrogen or hydrocarbon gases are used as the fuel. The problem with the nickel anode is its morphological instability and thermal expansion mismatch with YSZ. Thus, nickel powders are used in a form of Ni–YSZ cermet. Electrical conductivity of the cermet electrode varies drastically around the percolation threshold. The optimum nickel content is around 40 vol%. Electrode reaction kinetics has been investigated intensively for the cathode and the anode. The major origin of the electrode overvoltage is assumed to be the shift of oxygen potential at the electrode/electrolyte contact, which is caused by the formation of oxygen potential gap or gradient to promote the rate limiting reactions. The current–voltage relationship and the electrochemical impedances are well explained under the assumption, and the reaction models were developed by the reaction order analyses. Keywords: electrolyte; conductivity; electronic conductivity; ionic conductivity; chemical stability; mechanical strength; cost; stabilized zirconia; YSZ; O2− ion conductor; crystal structure; fluorite type structure; phase relationship; oxygen vacancy; mobility; long term operation; activation energy; electron; hole; electrolytic domain; electromotive force; optimum thickness; open circuit voltage; oxygen permeation; efficiency; electrode material; catalytic activity; compatibility; morphological stability; thermal expansion; cathode material; LaCoO3; LaFeO3; LaMnO3; (La; Sr)MnO3; perovskite; oxygen nonstoichiometry; cation vacancy; diffusion coefficient; isotope diffusion coefficient; La2Zr2O7; SrZrO3; kinetic decomposition (unmixing; demixing); anode material; Ni; Ni-YSZ cermet; percolation threshold; fabrication; electrode reaction kinetics; porous electrode; electrode/electrolyte interface; gaseous diffusion; adsorption; dissociation; surface diffusion; charge transfer; steam reforming reaction; shift reaction; origin of the electrode polarization; local equilibrium; rate determining step; triple phase boundary (TPB); oxygen activity; Langmuir-type adsorption; cathode reaction kinetics; polarization curve; anode reaction kinetics; hydrogen oxidation; patterned nickel electrode; hydrocarbon oxidation; methane; cracking; steam/carbon ratio; carbon deposition

An active-matrix a-Si thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) with 720 × 480 pixel resolution has been developed as a projector, enabling the display of sharp images on extended definition TV (EDTV) and computer monitors that support a full range of multimedia applications. To enhance picture quality, an LC transmission-voltage (T-V) correction circuit has been developed that incorporates a nonlinear video signal amplifier based on curve-fitting. To extend the panel's capabilities so that it can project images on computer display monitors, a ew drive circuits have been developed that incorporate 8-MHz analogue driver LSIs and sample-and-hold circuits.

There are various opinions on the Web, and analyzing them is an important task. Although many previous studies focused on analyzing subjective evaluative expressions, objective evaluative expressions which describe positive or negative facts are also informative information. In this paper, we study extraction and classification of subjective and objective evaluative expressions on Japanese Web documents using machine learning and evaluative word dictionaries.

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) of the kidney generally shows low nuclear grade. MTSCC with high nuclear grade is relatively rare. In this article, we report two cases of MTSCC with Fuhrman grade 3. One case occurred in a 57-year-old Japanese female and the second case in a 49-year-old Caucasian female. Histologically, the tumors were composed of neoplastic cells with cuboidal or columnar and spindle morphology, and Fuhrman nuclear grade 3. The myxoid stroma was also observed. This stroma was positive for Alcian blue stain. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells of both cases were positive for AMACR, but negative for CD10 and RCC Ma. Ultrastructurally, tumorous cells of one case contained numerous mitochondria. In FISH analysis, many neoplastic cells of both cases demonstrated monosomy of chromosomes 15 and 22 and disomy of chromosomes 7 and 17. One of the two patients died of respiratory failure due to pleuritis carcinomatosa 48 months postoperatively. Finally, the pathologist should recognize that high grade MTSCC exists despite its rare frequency. FISH analysis may be helpful in establishing the diagnosis of this entity. Furthermore, we present the first report of a patient with MTSCC dying of distant metastasis.

We previously reported that forest bathing trips enhanced human NK activity, number of NK cells, and intracellular anti-cancer proteins in lymphocytes, and that the increased NK activity lasted for more than 7 days after the trip in male subjects. In the present study, we investigated the effect of forest bathing trip on human NK activity in female subjects. Thirteen healthy nurses, age 25-43 years, professional career 4-18 years, were selected with informed consent. The subjects experienced a three-day/two-night trip to forest fields. On day 1, the subjects walked for two hours in the afternoon in a forest field; on day 2, they walked for two hours each in the morning and afternoon in two different forest fields; and on day 3, the subjects finished the trip and returned to Tokyo after drawing blood and completing a questionnaire. Blood and urine were sampled on the second and third days during the trip, and on days 7 and 30 after the trip. NK activity, numbers of NK and T cells, and granulysin, perforin, and granzymes A/B-expressing lymphocytes in the blood samples, the concentrations of estradiol and progesterone in serum, and the concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline in urine were measured. Similar control measurements were made before the trip on a normal working day. The concentrations of phytoncides in the forests were measured. The forest bathing trip significantly increased NK activity and the numbers of NK, perforin, granulysin, and granzymes A/B-expressing cells and significantly decreased the percentage of T cells, and the concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline in urine. The increased NK activity lasted for more than 7 days after the trip. Phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and beta-pinene were detected in forest air. These findings indicate that a forest bathing trip also increased NK activity, number of NK cells, and levels of intracellular anti-cancer proteins in female subjects, and that this effect lasted at least 7 days after the trip. Phytoncides released from trees and decreased stress hormone levels may partially contribute to the increased NK activity.

When an earthquake occurs, in order to get safety information, the safety information registration system (SIRS) is most frequently used. Today, almost all SIRS can be accessed from personal computer but they can access from PDA, such as mobile phones. However, access of the current SIRS is more difficult, especially for visual disabled and aged people, also for the non- Japanese natives. In this study, we developed the universal SIRS with easy access for disaster vulnerable such as physically handicapped and people with language barrier. Our newly developed system enables registration of safety information by with simple operation by pushing buttons with guidance of bigger characters and multilingual audio assistance, so forth.

In the case of emergency and sudden illness, a simple ad-hoc network based on MOTE has been developed for home health care. The objective system requires installing and handling easily as well as low cost. We have developed a simple ad-hoc network to monitor the behavior and physical activity in daily life. The system consists of low power wireless transmission, interfaces of environment such as temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide, interface of physical activity monitor by acceleration signal per unit time, pyroelectric sensors and main computer. The installation of system is very easy and not time-consuming. Subject wore the small physical activity monitor with low-power wireless terminal. The environment and subject's movement inside a room were also monitored. The ad-hoc network can operate without any trouble. The subject's movements inside the room as well as outside were easily followed. The system may be useful for home health care

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular green microalga, could grow to a stationary phase having optical density of 2.0-2.5 at 750 nm in Tris-acetate-phosphate (TAP) medium containing 0.1% D-alanine. D-alanine has no inhibitory effect on growth and induced alanine racemase activity 130-fold more than without D-alanine in the green alga. Although C. reinhardtii cultured in the TAP medium showed alanine racemase activity, the content of free D-alanine was only 0.14%. The enzyme was partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by three kinds of liquid chromatography using DEAE Toyopearl, Phenyl Sepharose, and TSK G3000 SWXL columns. The specific activity for L-alanine of the partially purified alanine racemase was 3.8 micromol/min/mg. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be approximately 72,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme showed a maximum activity at 45 degrees C and pH 8.4 and requires pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a coenzyme.

Cell-phones are now incorporating the functions necessary for them to be used as mobile IT devices. In this paper, we present our results of the evaluation of cell-phones as the mobile IT device to assist workers in industrial plants. We use waterworks and sewage plants as examples. By employing techniques to squeeze the SCADA screen on CRT into a small cell-phone LCD, we have made it easier for a plant's field workers to access the information needed for effective maintenance, regardless of location. An idea to link SCADA information and the plant facility information on the cell-phone is also presented. Should an accident or emergency situation arise, these cell-phone-based IT systems can efficiently deliver the latest plant information, thus the worker out in the field can respond to and resolve the emergency.

Preparation for direct measurement of 12C+4He→16O+γ reaction at stellar energy has been made in Kyushu University tandem laboratory (KUTL) since 1914. We plan to measure the reaction at Ecm = 2.4–0.7 MeV where the cross section is estimated to be 60 nbarn–1pbarn. Many instrumental developments have been made for a 12C beam, a windowless helium gas target, 16O detection, background reduction. We started the measurement in 2006.

We used cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1)–deficient mice to test the hypothesis that COX-1 regulates blood pressure (BP) and renal hemodynamics. The awake time (AT) mean arterial pressures (MAPs) measured by telemetry were not different between COX-1 +/+ and COX-1 −/− (131±2 versus 126±3 mm Hg; NS). However, COX-1 −/− had higher sleep time (ST) MAP (93±1 versus 97±2 mm Hg; P P −/− had higher MAP (109±5 versus 124±4 mm Hg; P −1 · min −1 · g −1 ; P P −/− had a 89% reduction ( P 2 , a 76% reduction ( P 2 , a 40% reduction ( P 1α (6keto), a 27% reduction ( P 2α (11β), a 35% reduction ( P P +/+ (6.9±0.9 versus 3.2±0.6 g · g −1 creatinine · 10 −3 ; P −/− (5.1±0.9 versus 4.9±0.7 g · g −1 creatinine · 10 −3 ; NS). Urine collection during ST showed lower excretion of 6keto, 11β, NOx, aldosterone, sodium, and potassium than during AT in both COX-1 +/+ and COX-1 −/− , and there were positive correlations among these parameters (6keto versus NOx; P P P

This paper describes a newly developed voice-activated word processor and a two-stage recognition method to achieve a precise recognition of isolated monosyllables. At the first stage, the recognizer segments a monosyllable into an initial consonantal part and a final part (i.e., the vowel region), and computes similarities between the input speech and orthonormal mode functions of each consonantal segment which is designed from multiple speakers using K-L expansion and adapted to a new speaker ( Adaptive Multiple Similarity Method). At the second stage, frame-by-frame similarity scores, extracted at the phoneme recognizer using Multiple Similarity Method, are applied to candidate monosyllables to make a final decision. The average monosyllable recognition accuracy with six speakers was about 95%.

A 3μm, double metal CMOS pipeline sorter ship that selects 80 16-byte records at a 3Mbytes/s throughput rate will be disclosed. The 37×21mm chip uses hierarchical redundancy and laser repair to increase yield by 10× with an eara of only 1.9×.

A 16b processor chip with sorter and 32Kb dictionary RAM has been developed for hand-printed Kanji character recognition. This paper will describe the design techniques used to achieve defect tolerance in the memory and logic blocks. A 18.5×20.5mm2chip contains 460,000 transistors using a 3μm double metal CMOS technology.

A 66-year-old female, who had received a surgery of the neurilemmoma on the abdominal wall 6 years ago, was referred to our hospital because of a chest X-ray abnormality. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed 3 tumors in the left chest wall. One tumor arised from the 7th intercostal nerve and 2 tumors from 8th nerve. These tumors were surgically removed by video-assisted thoracic surgery. These tumors are histopathologically diagnosed as neurilemmoma and have the same characteristics with previously resected abdominal wall tumor.

We investigated the hypothesis that thromboxane A2(TxA2)-prostaglandin H2receptors (TP-Rs) mediate the hemodynamic responses and increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) to ANG II (400 ng·kg−1·min−1sc for 14 days) using TP-R knockout (TP −/−) and wild-type (+/+) mice. TP −/− had normal basal mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and glomerular filtration rate but reduced renal blood flow and increased filtration fraction (FF) and renal vascular resistance (RVR) and markers of ROS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and 8-isoprostane PGF2α) and nitric oxide (NOx). Infusion of ANG II into TP +/+ increased ROS and thromboxane B2(TxB2) and increased RVR and FF. ANG II infusion into TP −/− mice reduced ANG I and increased aldosterone but caused a blunted increase in MAP (TP −/−: +6 ± 2 vs. TP +/+: +15 ± 3 mmHg) and failed to increase FF, ROS, or TxB2but increased NOx and paradoxically decreased RVR (−2.1 ± 1.7 vs. +2.6 ± 0.8 mmHg·ml−1·min−1·g−1). Blockade of AT1receptor of TP −/− mice infused with ANG II reduced MAP (−8 mmHg) and aldosterone but did not change the RVR or ROS. In conclusion, during an ANG II slow pressor response, AT1receptors activate TP-Rs that generate ROS and prostaglandins but inhibit NO. TP-Rs mediate all of the increase in RVR and FF, part of the increase in MAP, but are not implicated in the suppression of ANG I or increase in aldosterone. TP −/− mice have a basal increase in RVR and FF associated with ROS.

This paper presents an advanced leg module developed for HRP-2, a new humanoid robotics platform, which has been developed in phase two of the Humanoid Robotics Project (HRP), a five year program sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) from 1998FY to 2002FY. The biped locomotion ability of HRP-1, the humanoid robotics platform developed in phase I is to be improved so that HRP-2 can cope with rough terrain and can prevent possible damage to the robot body caused by tipping over. In this paper, the mechanisms and specifications of the leg module, the electrical system, the simulation results utilized for deciding specifications, and some experimental results are presented.

In order to develop effective counter measures to cardiovascular maladaptation associated with space flight, it is essential to know how dynamic characteristics of blood pressure regulation are altered in space. The open-loop transfer characteristics of the carotid sinus baroreflex can be divided into the neural arc and peripheral arc transfer functions (Ikeda et al. 1996). The neural arc transfer function represents the dynamic input-output characteristics from arterial pressure (AP) to efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), while the peripheral arc transfer function represents those from SNA to AP. Although AP perturbation according to a white noise sequence can be used to estimate the transfer functions under baroreflex closed-loop conditions (Kwanda et al. 1997), arterial catheter implantation necessary to perturb AP limits the applicability of this method to freely moving animal experiments. To overcome this problem, we explored the closed-loop system identification method using electrical stimulation. We used aortic depressor nerve (ADN) stimulation and rapid pacing (RP) of the heart to perturb the arterial baroreflex system.

JERS-1 SAR Southeast Asia mosaics including New Guinea and northern Australia were generated. The JERS-1 SAR scenes were processed at NASDA EORC and mosaicked with an automated mosaicking method. The authors introduce the EORC-developed SAR mosaicking algorithm and then present several characteristic features of the mosaics.

Acute pulmonary thromboembolism is fatal if the diagnosis and treatments are delayed. Here we present a case of acute thromboembolism to the right and left pulmonary arteries after right lung lobar resection. A 52-year-old woman who admitted to our hospital with lung cancer was performed right upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection (pT1N0M0, well differentiated adenocarcinoma). Two days after surgery, she complained sudden chest discomfort and dyspnea. The blood pressure and oxygen saturation were rapidly decreased. Because there was no lung edema or atelectasis in the chest portable roentgenogram and no ischemic change in the electrocardiogram, pulmonary thromboembolism was suspected and emergency chest computed tomography (CT) was performed. The CT showed left and right pulmonary arterial thromboembolism and immediate anti-coagulator therapy was started. Her condition was improved and chest CT, which was performed three days after the onset of the thromboembolism, showed decreased but still remained thrombus. The anti-coagulator therapy was continued and one month after the onset of the thromboembolism, thrombus was disappeared on chest CT. She is doing well 17 months after surgery. Early diagnosis and treatments are critical for the pulmonary thromboembolism.

Power delivery apparatus in substations tends to operate under circumstances which do not allow long-term shutdown for overhaul inspection and maintenance. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and diagnose the condition of substation equipment in operation so that signs of abnormalities or end-of-life can be detected. Hitachi Ltd. has been developing and improving sensing and diagnostic technologies including expert systems for diagnosing various abnormal conditions and predicting end-of-life with high accuracy. Based upon these technologies, high-precision on-line operation/maintenance systems for practical use incorporating various types of high-precision diagnostic devices and expert systems are being produced. These systems are being designed and manufactured for application in newly constructed substations. >

Large and highly variable deformations of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the human knee cannot be adequately quantified by one-dimensional and/or localized measurements. In order to measure strains in the entire area of the ACL, we applied a photoelastic coating method and attempted to analyze stress on the basis of the strains. A specific kind of polyurethane, possessing optically high fringe-sensitivity, was found to be most suitable for the measurement purpose. A specially designed apparatus was used to allow a natural motion of the knee whose medial and lateral femoral bone parts were removed in order for the ACL to be exposed. The photoelastic observation was performed from all the directions around the longitudinal axis of the ACL. Measurement and analysis gave the continuous information of strain distribution including the variations of strain along the principal strain directions in the ACL.

A superior outcome is observed for cases of complete resection compared with that of incomplete resection. The reason and the countermeasure of the incomplete resection for lung cancer were analyzed. During 12 years, 274 patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer were surgically treated. Two hundred and forty-eight patients underwent complete resection and 26 incomplete resection. Three-year survival was 62% for patients with complete resection and 17% for patients with incomplete resection. Survival rates were not different between the paroative reduction surgery and the exploratory thoracotomy. Tiny but multiple pleural dissemination or small amount of the malignant pleurfal effusion was not able to detect preoperatively. In these cases, preoperative thoracoscopic observation may useful for avoiding the meaningless thoracotomy. Postoperative radiochemotherapy may improve the prognosis if the therapy is effective. Chemotherapy on the basis of the sensitivity assay is warranted.

A 44-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of the left cervical tumor. Radiologic examination showed that the tumor was 5 cm in diameter and was inhomogeneous. The tumor was spread to the upper mediastinum. Esophagoscopy showed that the tumor was covered by the normal mucosa. Percutaneous fine needle biopsy did not appear the histopathological diagnosis. The patient underwent surgical resection through the cervical approach and the tumor was located between the mucosal and muscular layers of the esophagus. The tumor was enucleated without any complication. Histopathological diagnosis was leiomyoma. Postoperative course was uneventful. Expecting diagnosis and positive complete resection is recommended for leiomyoma of the esophagus.

A 32-year-old man who underwent evaluation for dyspnea and left chest pain proved to have a left pneumothorax and a right giant bulla. After surgery for the left pneumothorax, drug induced liver injury was observed. Seventeen days after surgery, left giant bulla was infected and niveau formation was seen with high fever. After administration of antibiotics, the niveau was disappeared and the body temperature was down, however, drug induced liver injury was caused. After that, again, the niveau formation was noticed in the right bulla. We speculated that adequate drug therapy could not used because of liver injury if the right bulla would be infected one more time. Bullectomy of the right lung was performed. One year after surgery, there were no signs of infection. We usually administer the adequate antibiotics against the infectious giant bulla without surgical therapy because the bulla will be reduced with the infection. However, there is a situation like this case that surgical treatment is required because of the drug induced liver injury.

A superior outcome is observed for cases of curative resection compared with that of non-curative resection. The Japan Lung Cancer Society revised "General Rule for Clinical and Pathological Record of Lung Cancer" in 1999 and relatively non-curative resection (RNCR) of former rule was categorized as complete resection. The reason and the countermeasure of RNCR for lung cancer were analyzed. During 11 years, 242 patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer were surgically treated in Showa University Hospital. One hundred patients underwent absolutely curative resection (ACR); 64, relatively curative resection (RCR); 55, RNCR; 23, absolutely non-curative resection (ANCR). Three-year survival was 90% for patients with ACR, 48% with RCR, 21% with RNCR, and 13% with ANCR. The cases for RNCR were defined as follows: RNCR-a) incomplete mediastinal lymph node dissection (n = 29), RNCR-b) partial resection of the lung without lymph nodes dissection (n = 5), RNCR-c) N 2 b metastasis (n = 14), RNCR-d) N 3 lymph node dissection with N 3 metastasis (n = 0), RNCR-e) metastasis in other lobes of the ipsilateral thoracic cage (n = 7). RNCR-a) was selected in the poor risk patients who were diagnosed as clinical N 0 or N 1. Only one out of the 29 patients was diagnosed as pathological N 2 after surgery with hilar and mediastinal lymph node sampling. Because of the excellent preoperative staging, only RNCR-a) had three year survivors among RNCR cases and the three year survival rate was 39%. RNCR-b) was selected in the severe risk patients who were diagnosed as clinical N 0. There was no death associated with complication in RNCR-b) group. Some cases of RNCR-c) (pathological N 2 b) were clinical N 0 or N 1 and there was a limitation of the preoperative clinical staging. However, some cases of the clinical N 2 were surgically treated with chemo-radiotherapy and were resulted as RNCR-c). The concepts between curative resectability and complete resectability are different and RNCR-b), c), and e) should not include the curative resection because of the poor prognosis.

In discordant xenotransplantation, the recipientOs blood initiates hyperacute xenorejection (HXR). We hypothesized that HXR-related lung edema may be reduced if a new xenograft is perfused by blood which previously has perfused another xenograft. In a syngeneic control group (n = 6), a rat lung (lung XR) was perfused by rat blood (blood AR), following which the blood was collected (blood BR). After another rat lung (lung YR) was perfused by blood BR, the blood was collected (blood CR). In a xenogeneic experimental group (n = 6), a guinea pig lung (lung XG) was perfused by rat blood (blood AG), and the blood was collected (blood BG). Then, another guinea pig lung (lung YG) was perfused by blood BG, and once more the blood was collected (blood CG). White blood cells (WBC), polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit, and complement (CH50) in the blood were measured pre- and post-perfusion. The wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of the lung was calculated after the perfusion. WBC and PMN were higher in blood CR/BR than in blood BR/AR. CH50 was higher in blood CG/BG than in blood BG/AG. RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not different among the blood AR, BR, CR, AG, BG, and CG. The W/D was not different between lung XR and lung YR. The W/D of lung YG was lower than lung XG. In conclusion, the lung edema associated with HXR is reduced when blood which has perfused another xenograft is used to perfuse the new xenograft without anemia, and complement plays a critical role in reducing lung edema.

Primary small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the bladder is a rare but important entity. We report two cases of SCC of the bladder diagnosed by urinary cytology.A 71-year-old male (case 1) and a 79-year-old female (case 2) presented with asymptomatic gross hematuria. Urinary cytology in case 1 showed the presence of a few undifferentiated malignant small cells and many transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cells with a bloody and necrotic background. The former cells were small and round, with naked, hyperchromatic nuclei and finely granular chromatin. Pathologic diagnosis after total cystectomy was TCCSCCadenocarcinoma, T2M0N0. Urinary cytology of case 2 showed the presence of many undifferentiated malignant small cells and many TCC cells with or without squamous metaplasia. Cytologic features of the former cells were almost the same as those in case 1. Moreover, these cells were neuroendocrine marker positive by immunocytochemistry. Pathologic diagnosis after tumor resection was SCC and TCCsquamous cell carcinoma, T1b.The prognosis of primary SCC of the bladder is usually poor. Because our cases were found by urinary cytology at a relatively early stage, both have been well, without any evidence of recurrence, 30 and 25 months after surgery even without adjuvant therapy.

Wild-type or mutated human beta3-adrenergic receptor (Trp64Arg) cDNAs were stably expressed in mouse 3T3-L1 cells. Saturation binding study using a beta-adrenergic ligand revealed that there was no significant difference in the receptor density and the equilibrium dissociation constant between the two cell lines. However, the ability of the mutant beta3-adrenergic receptor to accumulate cyclic AMP (cAMP) in response to isoproterenol was much reduced and Kact for cAMP accumulation was lowered as compared to the wild type receptor. The amount of alpha subunit of stimulatory GTP-binding protein (GSalpha) and adenylyl cyclase activity in response to forskolin were not different in the two cell lines. The responses of the mutant receptor to epinephrine, norepinephrine and L-755,507, a highly specific agonist for human beta3-adrenergic receptor, were also reduced, but the reduction of Kact for L-755,507 was more evident than other agonists tested. The cAMP accumulation in response to some conventional beta3 agonists was less than 10% of that to isoproterenol even in the cells expressing the wild type receptor. These results suggest that the Trp64Arg mutant beta3-adrenergic receptor has less ability to stimulate adenylyl cyclase, and that lipolytic activity through the beta3-adrenergic receptor by catecholamines in subjects carrying this mutation might be suppressed.