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We study the spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in W/CoFeB/MgO heterostructures with W deposited under different sputtering conditions. We show that the crystal structure and resistivity of W depend on the employed sputtering conditions. Switching current of nanoscale devices is smaller while effective anisotropy field is larger for the devices with more resistive W channel deposited at lower sputtering power and higher Ar gas pressure. The effective spin Hall angle evaluated from the switching probability varies by a factor of 2–3 depending on the W resistivity controlled by the sputtering conditions.

In order to define the roles of the K-ras and p53 genes in the development of lung cancer, especially in young adults, we compared the clinicopathological features of the patients between younger (< or = 45 years, n = 47) and older (< 55 years, n = 50) groups. The gene alterations were examined by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method. The K-ras gene alterations were detected only in adenocarcinomas, and the p53 gene alterations in all histologic types of lung cancer. There were no significant differences in the frequency of both K-ras and p53 gene alterations between the younger and older groups (9 vs. 11%, 36 vs. 32%). In the younger group, but not in the older one, the percentage for smokers was significantly higher in the p53 gene alteration-positive group than for the negative group (65 vs. 30%). As to the prognosis, there were no significant differences between the p53 gene alteration-positive and -negative cases in both the younger and older groups as well as in all subjects, while a tendency of poorer prognosis was observed in K-ras gene alteration-positive cases than for the -negative ones with adenocarcinomas. These results suggest that (1) the K-ras and p53 gene alterations would have no special roles in terms of the lung carcinogenesis in young adults; (2) a positive relationship between smoking and p53 gene alteration would exist in young adults with lung cancer, and (3) K-ras gene alteration would become a prognostic factor in lung cancer.

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare, refractory auto-immune disease, and produces chronic progressive anemia because of a failure of erythropoiesis. Half the patients with PRCA are associated with thymoma. Thymo-thymectomy is not sufficient to restore the hemopoiesis in this disease. This time we experienced a rare patient with PRCA associated with a thymoma who was able to get an alleviation of the disease by thymo-thymectomy for the thymoma. A 58-year-old female was admitted to the hospital because of shortness of breath on excersize and palpitation. There was a remarkable anemia. Reticulocyte was not noted in the complete blood count, and also a bone marrow aspiration revealed few erythroblasts. CT scanning revealed an anterior mediastinal tumor. Under a diagnosis of thymoma with PRCA, drug therapy with steroids was started. It was a useful treatment, but the effective dosage of steroids was controversial. Thymo-thymectomy was performed. Histological diagnosis of spindle-cell thymoma with no invasive growth out of the capsule was made. After the operation, prednisolone 25mg with cyclospoline 25mg followed by prednisolone 5mg as the maintenance dose successfully provided a marked improvement of anemia.

Aneurysm rarely occurs in the deep femoral artery, especially bilaterally. We experienced aneurysms of the bilateral deep femoral arteries, of which right aneurysm ruptured. A 66-year-old man was seen at the hospital because of bilateral femoral pulsating masses. CT revealed aneurysms of the bilateral deep femoral arteries and operation was scheduled. Few days later, right femoral pain and gait disturbance suddenly occurred. Emergency operation was carried out. The right aneurysm was partially excised and the inflow and outflow arteries of the aneurysm were closed. The left one was resected and the gap was bridged with a 8mm hemashield graft. The histological examination of the two resected tissues revealed arteriosclerotic aneurysms. Aneurysm of the deep femoral artery is often asymptomatic and sometimes it presents with its rupture, in that we should not hesitate to take surgical procedure. For future possible stenosis and obstruction of the superficial femoral arteries and popliteal arteries, it is important the restore the continuity of the deep femoral arteries, whenever possible.

左側胸腔内に発生した Askin 腫瘍を経験した。血性胸水にて発症し, 胸水細胞診および胸膜生検は陰性であったが, 胸水中のNSEは高値であった.胸水にて発症後, 約4ヵ月後に巨大腫瘍を形成した.腫瘍の摘出を試みたが, 生検に留まった。強力な化学療法と放射線治療にも抵抗性で, 肺転移を来し, 全経過約16ヵ月にて癌死した.若年者にNSE高値の血性胸水を認めた場合, 本疾患を念頭におき, 積極的な開胸生検を行うことが胸水発症例を診断する上で肝要と思われた.

Bottled liquids are limited to be brought in the airplane, because liquid explosives have been used in some terrorist attaches recently. A bottled liquid scanner is expected to be developed. Liquid scanner using near infrared technologies is being developed by us. Many spectrum of liquids have been collected and analyzed by chemometorics in order to separate safe beverage to explosive and dangerous liquids. This bottled liquid scanner had feasibility tests in some international airport in Japan and obtained good review from security people in the airport.

The performance of rectangular radio frequency (RF) coils capable of being used to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) signals from blister packs of medicines has been compared. The performance of a fixed-pitch RF coil was compared with that from two variable-pitch coils, one based on a design in the literature and the other optimized to obtain the most homogeneous RF field over the whole volume of the coil. It has been shown from (14)N NQR measurements with two medicines, the antibiotic ampicillin (as trihydrate) and the analgesic medicine Paracetamol, that the latter design gives NQR signal intensities almost independent of the distribution of the capsules or pills within the RF coil and is therefore more suitable for quantitative analysis.

Objetivo: Analisar os possíveis fatores relacionados à falência primária pós-transplante de córnea no Setor de Doenças Externas Oculares e Córnea da Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Métodos: Realizado estudo retrospectivo de 239 pacientes submetidos à ceratoplastia penetrante no período de julho de 1999 a março de 2001. Casos de falência primária foram selecionados (grupo I) e dados dos doadores foram comparados com doadores de pacientes submetidos ao procedimento cirúrgico no mesmo período (grupo II). Os dados sobre os doadores foram: idade, causa mortis, contagem de células endoteliais, tempo entre óbito e a enucleação (T1), tempo entre a enucleação e a preservação da córnea (T2) e o tempo de preservação do tecido até a cirurgia (T3). Resultados: Foram analisados dados de 164 pacientes, sendo 21 casos de falência primária (12,8%). A média de idade dos doadores do grupo I foi de 43,1 anos (±22,0) e no grupo II foi de 47,9 anos (±18,9). Não houve diferença estatística entre os diferentes intervalos de tempo (T1, T2, T3). As principais causas de morte foram trauma, câncer e doenças cardíacas. Conclusão: Os diversos fatores analisados no presente estudo não apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os dois grupos estudados. Dificuldades em determinar as causas exatas da falência primária de um botão corneano pós-transplante sugerem uma multifatoriedade envolvida na gênese desta entidade. O trabalho das equipes dos Bancos de Olhos e a notificação, por parte dos médicos, das complicações ocorridas no pós-operatório contribuem na diminuição da incidência das falências pós-transplante de córnea.Purpose: To analyze the factors related to primary corneal graft failure after penetrating keratoplasty in the Corneal and External Diseases Section of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the charts of patients submitted to penetrating keratoplasty from July 1999 to March 2001. Cases of primary failure (group I) and patients submitted to the surgical procedure at the same period (group II) were selected and compared. Information collected from donors were age, cause of death, endothelial cell count, time between death and enucleation (T1), time between enucleation and preservation of the graft (T2) and time of tissue preservation until surgery (T3). Results: 164 patients were analyzed with 21 cases of primary failure (12.8%). The mean age of the donors of group I was 43.1 years (±22.0) and from group II was 47.9 years (±18.9). There was no statistical difference between the two groups considering the time intervals (T1, T2, T3). Causes of death included trauma, cancer and heart diseases. Conclusion: Differences in all analyzed factors were not significant between both groups. The difficulties in determining the causes of primary corneal graft failure suggests a multifactorial process involved in this problem. Well-trained Eye Bank staff and notifications about postoperative complications are important to decrease the primary failure incidence.

The pulsed nuclear quadrupole resonance method was used to search for the NQR frequencies of (14)N in methamphetamine hydrochloride based on quantum chemical estimates. The NQR spectrum peaks were observed at ν(+)=1.217 MHz and ν(-)=0.654 MHz. The temperature dependences of the NQR frequencies and relaxation properties were investigated for the purpose of stand-off sensing of illicit drugs. The NQR frequency shifts for ν(+) and ν(-) were approximately 0.22 kHz/K and 0.10 kHz/K, respectively, around room temperature. The spin-lattice relaxation times and spin-phase memory times were 8.3 ms-10.0 ms and 0.65 ms -0.86 ms, respectively.

The natural history of radiographic instability of the lumbar spine was determined by reexamination of 50 patients who had been diagnosed with this condition at least 10 years previously and correlation of these findings with changes in the clinical condition. The initial diagnosis and follow-up examination was performed by dynamic radiography, and the following observations were made: 1) radiographic instability resolved spontaneously in 20% of cases; 2) radiographic instability due to isolated posterior opening (asymmetric anterior collapse of the intervertebral disc in flexion) usually was self-limited; and 3) combined posterior opening and forward translation in flexion was associated with chronic instability and debilitating symptoms. The functional prognosis, whether or not symptoms are improved, in patients with radiographic lumbar instability depends primarily on developmental narrowing of the spinal canal, rather than on the existence or type of radiographic instability.

We describe herein the case of a 2-year-old girl found to have a pulmonary blastoma (PB). The child was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaints of coughing and left-sided chest pain. On admission, a chest X-ray revealed a large mass in the left lung, which measured 10 cm in diameter. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a marginally and heterogeneously enhanced tumor filling the left hemithorax. Pathologic findings of the fine-needle aspiration were suggestive of neuroblastoma. Subsequently, a left pneumonectomy with lymph node dissection was performed and histopathological examination confirmed that the tumor was a PB (type III). After the definitive diagnosis was made the patient received combination chemotherapy, and no evidence of recurrence has been seen in the 5 months since surgery.

Electron paramagnetic resonance imaging using nitroxides is a powerful method for visualizing the redox status modulated by oxidative stress in vivo. Typically, however, data acquisition times have been too slow to obtain a sufficient number of projections for three-dimensional images, when using continuous wave-electron paramagnetic resonance imager in small rodents, using nitroxides with comparatively short T(2) and a half-life values. Because of improvements in imagers that enable rapid data-acquisition, the feasibility of three-dimensional electron paramagnetic resonance imaging with good quality in mice was tested with nitroxides. Three-dimensional images of mice were obtained at an interval of 15 sec under field scanning of 0.3 sec and with 46 projections in the case of strong electron paramagnetic resonance signals. Three-dimensional electron paramagnetic resonance images of a blood brain barrier-permeable nitroxide, 3-hydroxymethyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl, in the mouse head clearly showed that 3-hydroxymethyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl was distributed within brain tissues, and this was confirmed by MRI observations. Based on the pharmacokinetics of nitroxides in mice, half-life mapping was demonstrated in an ischemia-reperfusion model mouse brain. Inhomogeneous half-lives were clearly mapped pixel-by-pixel in mouse head under oxidative stress by the improved continuous wave-electron paramagnetic resonance imager noninvasively.

Japan is a land of frequent earthquakes, and developing effective means for preventing and mitigating disasters in their aftermath is a matter of deep and widespread concern. The time and location of their occurrence is essentially unpredictable, and interest therefore centers on preventing and mitigating damage. A key prerequisite for effective mitigation is rapid, accurate appraisal of conditions in the stricken region. For this purpose, the development of systems for concurrent, parallel information gathering, capable of covering a broad range of affected areas and conditions, is critical. In the DDT Project, 'Development of Advanced Robots and Information Systems for Disaster Response.' of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the development effort for rescue robots and other next-generation basic technologies for disaster prevention and mitigation has included the development of interlinked rescue robots, airborne vehicles, sensors, and other elements of disaster area information gathering technologies (Tadokoro, 2009). A related recent development has been the trend toward ubiquitous computing (Weiser, 1991), data carriers (Takeda, 1991), and related technologies, with research and development in progress for the creation of intelligent information environments to support and aid in daily life and living. In parallel with these advances, the authors have developed an intelligent data carrier (IDC) for rescue, designed to support the search for victims immediately after an earthquake (Kurabayashi et al., 2003); (Asama et al., 2005); (Kawabata et al. 2006); (Hada et al., 2006). The rescue IDC is a small device with wireless radio communication capability, for installation in living environments. In the wake of an earthquake, this device can send out voice calls to any who might be trapped in the rubble and record their responses. With multiple deployments, the IDCs enable parallel searches for victims throughout the stricken area. In a separate study, Takizawa et al. (2007) has applied RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to the development of an information transmission system in which wireless tags are permanently installed along streets and other routes to collect information on the stricken area, so that victims trying to leave the area and rescue personnel can perform non-contact automated gathering of the information. In the wake of a disaster, however, the rescue IDCs may not be available where

We report a rare case of pneumothorax caused by metastatic carcinoma of the breast, in a 69-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital with severe chest pain. Four years previously, she had undergone modified radical mastectomy for a left breast tumor. Chest X-ray examination and computed tomography (CT) scan on current admission revealed right pneumothorax and bilateral pulmonary tumors. Although operation is not usually indicated in such circumstances, the patient had persistent air leakage for 7 days, despite receiving effective closed cather drainage, making right thoracotomy necessary. During the operation, an open bronchopleural fistula in the metastatic tumor of the upper lobe, infiltrating close to the visceral pleura, was observed. Wedge resection, including the necrotic tumor, was thus performed. Microscopic examination of the resected specimen showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, consistent with metastasis from breast carcinoma. This is the second reported case of pneumothorax caused by metastatic carcinoma of the breast.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the radio-opacity of core materials for all-ceramic restorations, such as zirconia (NANOZR and Y-TZP) and alumina, against commercially pure titanium (cpTi) and aluminum. X-ray images were taken under general settings using an X-ray film. The X-ray film images were scanned using a digital scanner, and the darkness at the central area of each specimen image was quantitatively analyzed using an image analysis software. Amongst the materials investigated, alumina showed the most transparency against X-rays. Conversely, both types of zirconia showed the highest radio-opacity, whereby that of NANOZR was slightly lower than that of Y-TZP. This was because NANOZR contained 30 vol% of alumina and its density was also slightly lower than that of Y-TZP.

To describe the characteristics of human ocular tissue donors from the Cascavel Eye Bank in the State of Paraná (PR) and investigate the impact of hepatitis B serologic test positivity on discarded ocular tissues.Cross-sectional study of data collected between March 2006 and April 2007 at the Cascavel Eye Bank. Information such as age, gender, cause of death, time between death and enucleation, and serologic tests results was collected. Data were used to characterize the study population and stratified according to hepatitis B (anti-HBc) status.Mean age of donors was 54.2 ± 20.6 years and a greater proportion of men (64,7%) was observed. Mean time between death and enucleation was 3.8 ± 2.4 hours, cardiovascular diseases were the main cause of death (34.5%). Positivity of anti-HBc and HBsAg tests was 47.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Hepatitis B was the main reason for discarding corneas. Donors whose serologic tests were positive for anti-HBc had higher mean age compared to those with negative tests (p0.001). Only 0.8% of all donations tested positive for hepatitis C and donors with positive HIV test were not seen in our study.Activities of the Cascavel Eye Bank significantly increased the availability of corneas for transplant in the State of Paraná. The main contraindication for availability of ocular tissues was positivity of serologic tests for anti-HBc. Biosafety studies should be performed in order to investigate the potential transmission of hepatitis B virus for donors with positive tests for anti-HBc. The inclusion of these donors would increase the number of corneas available for transplant.

The information on the surface of the earth observed with the sensors mounted on artificial satellites has become to be effectively utilized in many fields. This was begun by LANDSAT, and the satellites like SPOT and MOS-1 have been operated, in this way, the fact that the observed and acquired data have become diverse contributed largely to it. These informations have become usable by the users selecting the required ones, on the other hand, a question that is it proper to utilize respective informations by the same image processing technique arose /1/. This study was to compare and evaluate the characteristics of the geometrical distortion indwelling in the satellite data obtained with three kinds of high resolution sensors, that is, MESSR(MOS-1), TM(LANDSAT) and HRV(SPOT). At the time of the precise geometrical correction processing of satellite data, this becomes a valuable guideline.

The phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit used in the timing recovery of high-speed digital communications and high-density digital recordings must have a fast pull-in time and low jitter. One way to satisfy both characteristics is to use a two-mode PLL in which the loop gain is switched in the pull-in state and the steady state. However, in the PLL with a conventional procedure, the time constant of the loop filter cannot be reduced in the pull-in state; hence the time for phase locking after frequency locking cannot be reduced. This paper proposes a method in which the time constant of the loop filter and the loop gain are both switched. The loop gain is switched by the gain of the smoothing filter to eliminate ripple in the output from the phase comparator while the time constant is switched by the resistor in the loop filter. This method realizes a pull-in time one-tenth that in the PLL with conventional two-mode operation. A PLL IC using the forementioned method was fabricated by 2-μm BiCMOS process technology. Its capture range was ±2 percent, the pull-in time was 100 μs, and the noise bandwidth was 128 kHz in 64-MHz operation.

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Postoperative bronchial stump failure is a life-threatening complication, and several surgical approaches and procedures have been developed to close the stump. In this report, we describe a case of left mainstem bronchial stump diastasis after pneumonectomy for lung cancer, in which the bronchial stump was re-closed using a contralateral approach with video-assisted thoracic surgery, with good success. The left main bronchus was closed with an automatic stapler device, but the stump reopened and left pyothorax developed postoperatively. Emergent intratracheal intubation and ventilation was required due to rapid progression of right pyothorax. Under strict nutritional management by IV hyperalimentation, administration of antibiotics to which the organisms were sensitive, and drainage, the patient recovered from pneumonia. However, thoracic air leak increased daily, and reoperation for bronchial diastasis was performed. Using this approach, the left main bronchus near the carina was easily exposed extrapleurally, with only the azygos vein being incised. Video-assisted contralateral treatment was effective in avoiding sternal osteomyelitis due to a transpericardial approach via median sternotomy in the case of mainstem bronchial stump failure, only after left pneumonectomy.

Trepopnea is a condition whereby breathing may be comfortable in one position but difficult or labored in another. A unique case with trepopnea due to recurrent lung cancer with right main pulmonary artery stenosis and left main bronchus obstruction is presented. The patient had developed trepopnea 3 months earlier, but developed orthopnea shortly before he was admitted to our hospital. An emergent wall stent implantation was performed via the right femoral vein in the sitting position with the patient’s leg stretched out. The symptoms and respiratory function improved after stent implantation.

Relapsing polychondritis (RPC) is a multisystem disorder of chondromalacia involving any cartilage. Respiratory tract involvement is the greatest threat to life. We report a patient with stenosis of the subglottic trachea and left main bronchus who suddenly ceased breathing. As this patient did not have any other clinical features of RPC, the diagnosis was difficult. CT showed circumferential worm-eaten-like thickening suggesting a deformity and edema of the tracheal mucosa. Biopsy of the tracheal and thyroid cartilage revealed mild cartilage degeneration and infiltration with inflammatory cells. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed as having RPC. She is currently well 24 months after Montgomery T tube intubation with systemic steroids. Narrowing of the left main bronchus has not worsened.

Aim To evaluate, by impression cytology (IC), the cytological features of the central area of corneal epithelial surface of patients with symptomatic bullous keratopathy (BK). Design Cross-sectional observational case series. Methods IC of the central cornea was performed in 72 eyes of 72 patients with symptomatic BK between June 2005 and December 2006. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (group GC) or not of goblet cells (group NGC). The diagnosis of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) was defined by the presence of one or more intact goblet cells on the corneal surface. Squamous metaplasia was classified according to Murube and Rivas. Results Epithelial squamous metaplasia was found in 72 (100%) eyes, along with conjunctival goblet cells in 25 (34.72%) eyes. Squamous metaplasia was grade 1 in group GC and more advanced grades in group NGC. Corneal neovascularisation was present in 62 (82.11%) eyes. Vessel measure was more than 4 mm in 11 eyes (23.4%) in group NGC and 10 eyes (40%) in group GC (p=0.559), and they were mostly subepithelial in 23 eyes (48.9%) in group NGC and 12 (48%) eyes in group GC (p=0.822). Conclusion Squamous metaplasia was the most frequent finding associated with advanced BK. The presence of goblet cells on the surface of corneas with squamous metaplasia grade 1, in a significant number of patients, suggests that limbal stem cell deficiency is a common condition associated with advanced cases of BK.

We developed an evolutional wideband (3M∼26MHz) short-wave transmitter with an output of 1kW using PSM (Pulse Step Modulation) that digital (DRM: Digital Radio Mondiale) and analog AM modulation are possible. This equipment employs digital processed PSM method that high sound quality can be easily achieved in the modulation section and class E amplification for obtaining higher efficiency in the PA section composed of eight 125W PA. In addition, new output circuit for phase compensation of the load impedance. As a result, in the 125W PA, a drain efficiency of 95% at 3.925MHz and 86% at 25.885MHz was obtained. As analog AM characteristics, S/N of 54dB and above, distortion factor of 4% and under were obtained ranging from 3M to 26MHz. In digital modulation (DRM), S/N of about 24.5dB (at 25.885MHz at 16QAM) that satisfies target performance sufficiently was obtained.

This technical note reports a continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW-EPR) imager that can visualize the distribution of free radicals with a half-life of subminutes in three-dimensional (3D) space. A total of 46 EPR spectra under magnetic field gradients, called projections, were obtained for image reconstruction at an interval of 3.6 s. A shortened data-acquisition time was achieved with the use of analog signals that drove field gradient coils in the imager. 3D mapping of the half-lives of nitroxyl radicals (4-hydroxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidinyl-1-oxyl) was demonstrated in their reduction reaction with ascorbic acid. Inhomogeneous half-lives were clearly mapped pixel-by-pixel in a sample tube.

To investigate discarded corneas due to positive serologic tests in donors from the Hospital São Paulo Eye Bank (BOHSP) during a two-year period.Retrospective study of records from cornea donors between January 2006 and December 2007. Information such as serologic test results (Hepatitis B, C, and HIV), source of corneal tissue, donor's gender and age were tested for correlation.902 corneas were processed by BOHSP; 12.9% (116) were discarded due to donor's positive test for hepatitis B, C, or HIV; 20.5% (185) were also discarded due to inconclusive result of serological tests; percentage of corneas discarded due to positive or inconclusive serological tests during this period was 33.4% (301).This study confirms the importance of serological tests in order to prevent disease transmission to corneal transplant recipients. However, new tests are necessary to decrease the number of inconclusive tests and decrease the number of discarded corneas.

OBJETIVOS: Investigar descarte de córneas por sorologia positiva de doadores no Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo (BOHSP) durante período de dois anos. MÉTODOS: Revisão retrospectiva de prontuários de doadores de córneas do BOHSP entre janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2007. Correlações de dados como sorologias dos doadores (Hepatites B, C e HIV), procedência, sexo e faixa etária dos mesmos foram testados. RESULTADOS: Das 902 córneas processadas no BOHSP, 12,9% (116) apresentaram resultado positivo para hepatite B, hepatite C ou HIV em seus doadores; 20,5% (185) apresentaram testes sorológicos inconclusivos perfazendo uma porcentagem de 33,4% (301) de córneas descartadas no período estudado devido a resultado positivo ou inconclusivo da sorologia dos doadores. CONCLUSÃO: O estudo confirma a validade e a importância da realização de testes sorológicos para prevenção de doenças que poderiam ser transmitidas aos eventuais receptores de córneas. Entretanto, testes mais eficazes são necessários para diminuir o número de casos de sorologias inconclusivas, visando diminuir o descarte de córneas que poderiam ser utilizadas. PURPOSE: To investigate discarded corneas due to positive serologic tests in donors from the Hospital São Paulo Eye Bank (BOHSP) during a two-year period. METHODS: Retrospective study of records from cornea donors between January 2006 and December 2007. Information such as serologic test results (Hepatitis B, C, and HIV), source of corneal tissue, donor's gender and age were tested for correlation. RESULTS: 902 corneas were processed by BOHSP; 12.9% (116) were discarded due to donor's positive test for hepatitis B, C, or HIV; 20.5% (185) were also discarded due to inconclusive result of serological tests; percentage of corneas discarded due to positive or inconclusive serological tests during this period was 33.4% (301). CONCLUSION: This study confirms the importance of serological tests in order to prevent disease transmission to corneal transplant recipients. However, new tests are necessary to decrease the number of inconclusive tests and decrease the number of discarded corneas.

OBJETIVOS: Analisar fatores relacionados com a qualidade morfológica do tecido corneano no Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo (BOHSP) da UNIFESP. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo de dados do Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo no período de 2001 a 2006. Foram coletados dados de idade, sexo, causa do óbito do doador, tempo entre óbito e enucleação do globo ocular (tempo enucleação), tempo entre enucleação e a preservação do tecido corneano (tempo preservação), meio de preservação utilizado e procedência da córnea. Córneas foram examinadas na lâmpada de fenda e classificadas como "Excelente" ou "Boa" (grupo A) ou como "Regular", "Ruim" ou "Inaceitável" (grupo B). Modelos multivariados de regressão logística foram utilizados para detecção de fatores independentes relacionados à qualidade da córnea. RESULTADOS: Dados de 870 doadores foram analisados. Média ± desvio padrão de idade no grupo A foi de 40,7 ± 16,1 e 56,3 ± 17,5 no grupo B (p

This paper describes improved temporal resolution for three-dimensional (3D) continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging. To improve temporal resolution, the duration of magnetic filed scanning that is used to obtain an EPR spectrum for each projection was reduced to 40 ms. The Helmholtz coil pair for field scanning was driven by triangular waves. The uniform distribution of projections was also used to reduce the number of projections for 3D image reconstruction. The reduction reaction of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidinooxy with ascorbic acid was visualized by improved 3D EPR imaging techniques with a temporal resolution of 5.8 s.

A 500-MHz monolithic video driver integrated circuit (IC) for next-generation leading CRT (cathode ray tube) displays with 4 Mpixels or more is presented. The IC has a 320-mA output current amplifier, a video gain controller, a buffered input multiplexer, and a sample-and-hold bias circuit. Using new open-loop amplifier architecture and novel complementary-bipolar circuitry design, the driver IC with bandwidth f/sub B/ of 500 MHz is fabricated. It is economically implemented by a 2.5- mu m commercially available linear array with a transistor f/sub T/ of 4 GHz. Its f/sub B//f/sub T/ ratio (a figure of merit of the driver circuit design) is three times larger than that of the latest conventional design. The driver IC and power transistors are intended to realize a high-output (50.V/sub p-p/), wideband (300 MHz) CRT video amplifier characterized by good output voltage stability ( >

書誌情報のみ, Bibliographic data Only

After the earthquake, it is very important to recognize the situation of the disaster area as soon as possible. Therefore, the objective of our research is to realize information gathering system applying wireless sensor network technology. This paper describes about development of a novel camera node for gathering the information and also experimental results by using the camera node via wireless multi-hop ad-hoc network. The wireless camera node consists of a small Linux embedded computer, a GPS adaptor, a CMOS camera with fish-eye lens and passive pendulum mechanism for maintain uniform posture of build-in camera passively. Thus, the wireless camera node can be set easily only to roll it up on the rough terrain. The developed node also can deliver gathered environmental information (video) to remote site by multi-hop transferring. It is experimented that the prototype can transfer the captured video information in the wireless ad-hoc network.

This paper describes a wireless camera node with passive pendulum mechanism. We focus on transferring captured movie via wireless network and easy setting-up operation at demonstration site.

The increased use of corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs) in deep HPHT wells has led to production-tubing cracking failures throughout the industry. Many of these failures have occurred from the outside (annulus side) and been attributed to Environmentally Assisted Cracking (EAC) and hence, best described as Annular EAC (AEAC). Examination of these failures points to a serious incompatibility of the production tubing metallurgy with the packer fluid under stress.To solve this problem, combined expertise in fluid chemistry and metallurgy is needed. Consequently, in 2003 a research alliance of the co-authors to examine the compatibility of a wide spectrum of completion fluids with various martensitic stainless steel metallurgies was established.This unique research collaboration leading to extensive stress cracking testing performed with different metallurgies and different fluids under simulated well conditions has resulted in an extensive database and new body of knowledge regarding the causes behind AEAC failures. With respect to the mechanisms of failure, a variety of contaminants in completion/packer fluids have been found to play a dominant role. Such contaminants include sulfur-containing species, oxidants, and select ionic species. This paper addresses the impact of the new information and identifies serious misconceptions regarding the role of completion & packer fluids in the tubular failures.The information accrued from this comprehensive study has advanced the industry's knowledge of the causes of AEAC by detailing the previously unrecognized importance of various contaminants present in the fluids. Importantly, it has led to the recognition of the need for quality assurance and best-practice fluid management throughout the life cycle of the fluids. The extensive database and a user friendly software program derived from it permit minimization of tubular failure risk by matching packer fluids with metallurgies under a wide variety of stipulated well conditions.

To investigate factors associated with the morphological quality of corneal tissue at the Hospital São Paulo Eye Bank (BOHSP) - UNIFESP.Retrospective study of records from the BOHSP between 2001 and 2006. Information about donors such as age, gender, and cause of death were collected as well as time between death and enucleation (time-to-enucleation), time between enucleation and tissue preservation (time-to-preservation), preservation media, and source of corneal tissue. Biomicroscopic examination was performed in preserved corneas which were classified as 'Excellent' or 'Good' (group A) or 'Regular', 'Bad', or 'Unacceptable' (group B). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess factors that were independently associated with corneal quality.Data from 870 cornea donors were analyzed. The mean +/- standard error age in groups A and B was 40.7 +/- 16.1 and 56.3 +/- 17.5 years, respectively (p0.01). Time-to-preservation was significantly lower in group A (5.2 vs. 6.6 hours, p0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding gender (p=0.82) and time-to-enucleation (p=0.17). A higher proportion of traumas was observed in group A compared to group B (p0.01). Overall, Optisol was the most commonly used preservation medium and approximately half of the corneas were harvested by BOHSP. Factors that were independently associated with corneal quality were: age (Odds ratio 95% CI, 1.05 (1.04 - 1.06), for 1 year), time-to-preservation (1.05 (1.02 - 1.08), for 1 hour), source (1.53 (1.12 2.09), for Others vs. BOHSP) and cause of death (2.06 (1.43 -2.96), for Chronic diseases vs. External causes).This study showed some factors that were independently associated with morphological quality of donated corneas in the BOHSP such as age, time-to-preservation, source, and cause of death. Similar studies are necessary in order to determine factors that might influence the quality of corneas delivered to ophthalmic surgeons.

Continuous wave (CW) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging can be used to obtain slice-selective images of free radicals without measuring three-dimensional (3D) projection data. A method that incorporated a modulated magnetic field gradient (MFG) was combined with polar field gradients to select a slice in the subject noninvasively. The slice-selective in vivo EPR imaging of triarylmethyl radicals in the heads of live mice is reported. 3D surface-rendered images were successfully obtained from slice-selective images. In the experiment in mice, a slice thickness of 1.8 mm was achieved. Magn Reson Med 59:885–890, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

HISTÓRICO: Apesar dos esforços que vêm sendo realizados mais recentemente, a falta de córneas para transplantes ainda é uma realidade no Brasil, principalmente em algumas regiões. O Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo tem como objetivo garantir a qualidade e conservação dos tecidos oculares humanos para disponibilizá-los para transplantes. A qualidade do tecido encontra-se diretamente ligada a todos os processos realizados pela equipe do banco de olhos, a partir da seleção dos doadores. OBJETIVO: Conhecer o perfil dos doadores de córneas do Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo num período de dez anos. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo de fichas de doadores, no período de janeiro de 1996 a dezembro de 2005. RESULTADOS: Chegaram ao Banco de Olhos do Hospital São Paulo 3.624 córneas. A idade média dos doadores foi de 56,8 anos. A faixa etária com maior doação foi de 70-79 anos. A causa mortis mais freqüente foi doença cardiovascular, seguida por neoplasias, doenças respiratórias e trauma. O tempo "enucleação" foi em média de 3,8 horas e o tempo "preservação" foi em média de 3,6 horas. A maioria dos tecidos foi preservada em meios Optisol GS®. Os doadores jovens tiveram maior proporção de córneas consideradas de qualidade "Excelente" ou "Boa". CONCLUSÃO: Ao longo do período estudado de 10 anos, houve tendência de redução no recebimento de tecidos de outros bancos de olhos e progressivo aumento na captação e preservação de tecidos pela equipe do próprio Banco, com redução significativa no tempo de preservação dos tecidos. Os doadores foram, na maioria, do sexo masculino e as doenças cardiovasculares lideraram as causas de óbito. Apesar da maioria das córneas serem provenientes de doadores acima de 60 anos, o maior percentual de aproveitamento de córneas para transplantes ópticos foi de doadores jovens.

(1990). Minimal injective resolutions of gorenstein rings. Communications in Algebra: Vol. 18, No. 11, pp. 3835-3856.