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For more than 25 years Niigata University School of Medicine has been organizing medical exchanges with universities of the Russian Far East and Siberia. This exchange has turned out to be mutually beneficial for both universities, giving motivation to medical students and young doctors to strive for knowledge of international medicine. “Program for priority placement of foreign students sponsored by Japanese government” and “Re-inventing Japan project” initiated by Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) were adopted in 2014, so it gave us a perfect opportunity to expand the existing program. In 2017, the MEXT approved the application of Niigata University together with Hokkaido University for «Program of Globalization in the field of university education (in cooperation with Russia), the creation of a platform for interaction”. We hope advances in the field of medicine and medical care achieved as a result of such unique cooperation between Japan and Russia will greatly contribute not only to the welfare of citizens of both countries, but also to the development of industry and economy. We would like to share experience gained by our university in the sphere of Japanese-Russian medical exchanges and educational programs, as well to describe the prospects for further development.

BACKGROUND: We developed a drug information (DI) sheet for patients to promote appropriate use and self-medication, but the level of understanding was not satisfactory. One reason for the poor comprehension was that important information was buried in the detail. PURPOSE: To improve the visual appeal and patient comprehension of DI sheets by inserting pictograms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted the user testing method to evaluate DI sheets. Three different DI sheets on NSAIDs, sheet A provided by the industry, sheet B originally developed and sheet C with pictograms inserted in sheet B, were studied. The sentences of each sheet were laid out in two columns side by side. Originally designed pictograms for contraindications with underlying diseases, allergy history, inappropriate indication and concomitant use, and caution for the elderly and pregnant/breastfeeding females were used. Comprehension of the DI sheets was assessed in interviews with 12 questions. The time spent searching for answers and eye movements were recorded with an eye tracker. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee. RESULTS: Thirty-nine healthy adults stratified by age and sex were randomly assigned to group A (11), B (14), or C (14). The percentage of correct answers did not differ among groups (A, 79.5%; B, 82.1%; C, 79.8%). Pictograms of contraindications with concomitant use and inappropriate indication increased the correct answer rate (by 10%–20%) and visual appeal, but improvements by other pictograms were small. Ten of 12 questions had decreased search times in group C compared with group B. The average total search time in groups B and C was 273.6 and 244.6 s, respectively. The upper left of the DI sheets received the most visual attention, while text in the lower right tended to be overlooked. CONCLUSION: Pictograms shorten the time required to search for answers and make it easier to locate necessary information on DI sheets. Placing critical information in the upper left part of the page must be useful in increasing patient comprehension. REFERENCES AND/OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) is a projection-type microscopy technique collecting low-energy (typically 1–100 eV) electrons backscattered from the samples for imaging [1].

A stable continuous supply of products is required to improve consumers' quality of life; thus, the development of agricultural production systems has become critically important. In agriculture (cultivated fields), goods disposals or shortages can result from exceeding the consignment criteria owing to differences in the goods supplied and the amount in demand. In this research, we develop a numerical simulation based on cultivated field information derived from the Internet of Things to conduct an advanced business evaluation of the lack of stock and the crop loss due to uncertainty regarding the amount of produce harvested.

For enhancing the energy efficiency of a manufacturing system as a whole, it is critical to optimize energy consumption including that in the utility systems, which supplies compressed air, and that in each production line. However, there has been no progress in the research of methods for optimization. Hence, in this research, a method, which is a hybrid of a manufacturing system simulation and computational fluid dynamics simulation, is proposed for evaluating the operation of both production lines and compressed air systems simultaneously. The proposed method is used to evaluate the deficiencies and excesses in the supply from a compressed air system and the reliability of the supply of a compressed air system in response to the daily production schedule. Moreover, the energy consumption per unit of production throughput is optimized for various compressed air feed.

The uncertainty in measured diffraction intensities caused by particle statistics, which originates from the limited number of crystallites satisfying the diffraction condition, has been evaluated by a step-scan measurement about the rotation angle of a specimen-spinning attachment of a laboratory powder X-ray diffractometer. The residual statistical variance of the spinner-scan intensity data, after subtraction of periodic drift and variance caused by counting statistics, was assigned to the variance caused by particle statistics. Particle statistics for a standard Si powder (NIST SRM640c) and three size fractions (nominally 3–7, 8–12 and 18–22 µm in Stokes diameter) of quartz powder separated by a sedimentation method have been analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the spinner-scan method using a powder X-ray diffractometer. It has been confirmed that the observed ratio of the squared diffraction-peak intensity to the variance caused by particle statistics is proportional to the multiplicity of reflections predicted by the crystal structure. The spinner-scan intensity data for the standard Si powder (NIST SRM640c), the effective particle diameter of which was estimated at 5.6 µm by SEM image analysis, was used as the standard for crystallite-size evaluation of quartz powder based on analysis of spinner-scan data. The effective crystallite diameters of the three quartz powder samples have been estimated at 6.5 (2), 11.7 (2) and 22.8 (2) µm by the analysis of the spinner-scan data, while the effective particle diameters evaluated by SEM image analysis are 7.1, 12 and 25 µm, respectively. Other possible applications of the analysis of particle statistics based on the spinner-scan method are also discussed.

Low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) has been used to measure reflectivity of low-energy electrons for graphene layers grown on Si-terminated 6H-SiC(0001) and 4H-SiC(0001) substrates and C-terminated 4H-SiC(000-1) substrates. We observe quantized oscillations in the reflectivity on all the substrates. The number of graphene layers grown on both the Si-terminated and C-terminated substrates can be determined microscopically as the number of dips in the reflectivity between 0 and 7 eV. We also find that the dips appear closer to the vacuum level on the C-terminated substrates than on the Si-terminated substrates. This could be explained by the differences in the work function and Fermi level position between the graphene layers grown on the Si-terminated and C-terminated substrates. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2008.107]

Our research focuses on a user support system for the realisation of two aims; firstly, the consistent management and support of a definition procedure for a distributed simulation while storing and re-using definition parameters, and secondly, the remote execution of a distributed simulation system with a single manufacturing system designer. In this paper, we clarify the requirements of the user support system. We propose requirement functions and a fundamental structure of the user support system. We develop a user support system that is based on the use of the distributed simulation network system and the synchronisation method developed in the past research. The user support system is confirmed using a case to evaluate a hypothetical manufacturing system in which motors are produced. With this manufacturing system, it is assumed that three separate companies design the manufacturing system concurrently and that each designer is located away from the other designers in Japan. It is also assumed that a...

The asymmetry of diffraction peak profiles observed with a high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffractometer has been successfully removed by a double deconvolution method. In the first step, the asymmetry caused by the axial divergence aberration of the diffractometer is removed by a whole-pattern deconvolution method based on ana prioritheoretical model for the aberration. In the second step, the residual asymmetry, the origin of which can be ascribed to the aberrations of the beamline optics, is also removed by a whole-pattern deconvolution method, based on an empirical model derived from the analysis of experimental diffraction peak profiles of a standard Si powder (NIST SRM640b). The beamline aberration has been modelled by the convolution of a pseudo-Voigt or Voigt function with an exponential distribution function. It has been found that the angular dependence of the asymmetry parameter in the exponential function is almost proportional to tanθ, which supports the idea that the residual asymmetry should be ascribed mainly to the intrinsic asymmetry in the spectroscopic distribution of the source X-ray supplied by the beamline optics of the synchrotron facility. Recently developed procedures of whole-pattern deconvolution have been improved to treat the singularity of the instrumental function in the measured angular range. Formulae for the whole-pattern deconvolution based on the Williamson–Hall-type dependence of the width parameter of the instrumental function have also been developed. The method was applied to the diffraction intensity data of a standard ZnO powder sample (NIST SRM674) measured with a high-resolution powder diffractometer on beamline BL4B2at the Photon Factory. The structure parameters of ZnO were refined from the integrated peak intensities, which were extracted by an individual profile fitting method applying symmetric profile models. The refined structure parameters coincide fairly well with those obtained from single-crystal data.

A new non-centrosymmetric modification has been found for trigadolinium ruthenium hepta­oxide, Gd3RuO7, crystallizing in the space group P21nb. The structure is composed of infinite single chains of corner-linked [RuO6] octa­hedra embedded in the [Gd3O] matrix. The octa­hedra in the P21nb modification have two tilt systems about the a and c axes, in contrast to the previously reported Cmcm modification [Bontchev et al. (2000). Phys. Rev. B, 62, 12235–12240], with only one tilt system about the a axis. Changes in the coordination of Gd atoms in the title compound are closely related to the tilting mechanism about the c axis.

A quantitative basis for rocking curve measurements of preferentially oriented polycrystalline thin films is presented. The Gaussian function is used for modeling the preferred orientation of crystallites around the plane normal of the specimen surface. A theoretical rocking curve is fitted to the observed curve by the least-squares method, and the degree of preferred orientation, given in volume fraction, can be derived from a refined preferred orientation parameter of the distribution function even when the preferred orientation is very small. Uses of diffractometers equipped with parallel-beam optics and the integrated intensity rather than peak intensity are important for reliable rocking curve measurement.

An efficient and accurate method to evaluate the theoretical diffraction peak profiles from spherical crystallites with lognormal size distribution (SLN profile) is presented. Precise results can be obtained typically by an eight-term numerical integral for any values of the parameters, by applying an appropriate substitution of the variable to the integral formula. The calculated SLN profiles have been verified by comparison with those calculated by inverse Fourier transform from the exact analytical solution of the Fourier-transformed SLN profile. It has been found that the shape of the SLN profile strongly depends on the variance of size distribution. When the logarithmic standard deviation ω of the size distribution is close to 0.76, the SLN profile becomes close to a Lorentzian profile, and `super-Lorentzian' profiles are predicted for larger values of ω, as has been concluded by Popa & Balzar [J. Appl. Cryst.(2002),35, 338–346]. The intrinsic diffraction peak profiles of an SiC powder sample obtained by deconvolution of the instrumental function have certainly shown `super-Lorentzian' line profiles, and they are well reproduced by the SLN profile for the value ω = 0.93.

A quantitative basis for the rocking-curve measurement of the preferred orientation in polycrystalline thin films is presented. Gaussian functions are used for modeling the density distribution of the normals to the crystal plane around the normal to the specimen surface. An intensity formula for the rocking curve is derived from the kinematical theory applied to the case of asymmetric Bragg reflection. The density distribution is determined by the least-squares fit of a theoretical rocking curve to the observed curve, and a volume fraction of crystallites, whose normals to the crystal plane are present within a defined angular range, can be obtained from it. AlN and Au polycrystalline thin films were used for testing the present procedure. Parameter values of the model function, refined using both synchrotron radiation and laboratory X-rays, agree well with each other within the experimental errors although these intensity data sets were collected under different experimental conditions in instrumentation and wavelength. A distribution of depth-dependent preferred orientation in the AlN thin film was revealed by using double-layer and multiple-layer models. A very small degree of preferred orientation in Au thin films could also be measured. Parallel-beam optics and integrated intensities instead of peak height intensities are important for reliable rocking curve measurement.

A method to remove the effects of instrumental aberrations from the whole powder diffraction pattern measured with a high-resolution synchrotron powder diffractometer is presented. Two types of asymmetry in the peak profiles caused by (i) the axial-divergence aberration of the diffractometer (diffractometer aberration) and (ii) the aberration of the monochromator and focusing optics on the beamline (beamline aberration) are both taken into account. The method is based on the whole-pattern deconvolution by Fourier technique combined with the abscissa-scale transformation appropriate for each instrumental aberration. The experimental powder diffraction data of LaB6(NIST SRM660) measured on beamline BL-4B2at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba have been analysed by the method. The formula of the scale transformation for the diffractometer aberration hasa prioribeen derived from the instrumental function with geometric parameters of the optics. The strongly deformed experimental peak profiles at low diffraction angles have been transformed to sharp peak profiles with less asymmetry by the deconvolution of the diffractometer aberration. The peak profiles obtained by the deconvolution of the diffractometer aberration were modelled by an asymmetric model profile function synthesized by the convolution of the extended pseudo-Voigt function and an asymmetric component function with an empirical asymmetry parameter, which were linearly dependent on the diffraction angle. Fairly symmetric peak profiles have been obtained by further deconvolution of the empirically determined asymmetric component of the beamline aberration.

Leafhopper Transmission of Rice Tungro Bacilliform

The magnetotransport properties of epitaxial graphene on SiC substrates play a central role in the development of monolithic technology for high quality graphene-based devices. Magnetotransport investigations in both the small field and the quantum Hall regime give valuable information on the disorder properties of the monolayer film and on the role of bilayer inclusions. In the small field region, we find an unexpected dependence of the intra-valley scattering and electron-electron interactions on carrier density in monolayer devices. In the quantum Hall regime, bilayer stripes shunting the devices are responsible for anomalies in the observed characteristics, which we explain in terms of a Landauer-Buttiker model.

A formula of the instrumental function for a high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffractometer, equipped with a flat crystal analyser and a set of Soller slits for limiting the axial divergence of the diffracted beam, has been derived. The formula incorporates the effects of (i) the axial divergence of the diffracted beam limited by the Soller slits, (ii) the Bragg angle of the flat crystal analyser, and (iii) the tilt angle defined as the deviation of the normal direction of the analyser face from the goniometer plane. The model profile function given by the convolution of a Lorentzian function with the instrumental function has been applied to fit the experimental diffraction peak profiles of standard Si powder (NIST SRM640b) measured with a high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffractometer, MDS, on beamline BL4B2 at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba. The convolution has been calculated by applying an efficient algorithm for numerical integration. The profile function reproduces not only the experimental profiles measured with a well aligned crystal analyser, but also significantly distorted profiles arising from misalignment of the analyser, withRpvalues within 1.4%, by varying only the instrumental parameter for the tilt angle. It is suggested that further convolution with a Gaussian distribution is practically not necessary for the model instrumental function to fit the data collected with MDS. More rapid computation can be achieved by applying an analytical formula of the profile function, when the tilt angle of the crystal analyser is within about 0.2°.

Line shapes of theKα1–Kα2doublet beam reflected from a parabolic graded multilayer (PGM) were analysed by ray tracing and rocking-curve measurements using an Si(400) flat single crystal. The integrated intensity and the intensity ratio ofKα2toKα1of the reflected beam vary with the angle of incidence at the PGM. The rates of these variations are considered to increase with increasing spectral resolution of the PGM. TheKα1andKα2beams are reflected from the PGM in slightly different directions. Therefore, the angular separation between theKα1andKα2peaks of the observed diffraction profile of a sample becomes smaller than that calculated from the two wavelengths forKα1andKα2when the PGM and the sample are arranged in the (+−) setting, andvice versawhen they are in the (++) setting. The magnitude of the shift of the angular separation is close to the experimental uncertainty in the determination of the peak positions when the PGM consists of W/Si bilayers, whereas it is estimated to be three times as large when a PGM of high spectral resolution is used.

The distribution and appearance of Ralstonia solanacearum in the upper hypocotyl tissues of root-inoculated tomato seedlings of resistant rootstock cultivar LS-89 (a selection from Hawaii 7998) and susceptible cultivar Ponderosa were compared to clarify the mechanism that limits the movement of the bacterial pathogen in resistant tomato tissues. In stems of wilted Ponderosa plants, bacteria colonized both the primary and the secondary xylem tissues. Bacteria were abundant in vessels, of which the pit membranes were often degenerated. All parenchyma cells adjacent to vessels with bacteria were necrotic and some of them were colonized with bacteria. In stems of LS-89 plants showing no discernible wilting symptoms, bacteria were observed in the primary xylem tissues but not in the secondary xylem tissues. Necrosis of parenchyma cells adjacent to vessels with bacteria was observed occasionally. The pit membranes were often thicker with high electron density. The inner electron-dense layer of cell wall of parenchyma cells and vessels was thicker and more conspicuous in xylem tissues of infected LS-89 than in xylem of infected Ponderosa or mock-inoculated plants. Electron-dense materials accumulated in or around pit cavities in parenchyma cells next to vessels with bacteria, and in vessels with bacteria. Many bacterial cells appeared normal in vessels, except for those in contact with the pit membranes. These results indicate that R. solanacearum moves from vessel to vessel in infected tissues through degenerated pit membranes and that restricted movement in xylem tissues was the characteristic feature in LS-89. The limitation in bacterial movement may be related to the thickening of the pit membranes and/or the accumulations of electron-dense materials in vessels and parenchyma cells.

Rice green leafhopper Nephotettix virescens (Distant) populations were collected in 1985 from fields planted with a leafhopper resistant rice, Oryza sativa cultivar IR64 in South Cotabato, Philippines. The populations were reared on IR64 for eight generations and tested on six cultivars, including susceptible TN1, moderately resistant IR26 and IR36, and resistant IR54, IR62, and IR64. Leafhoppers excreted larger amounts of basic honeydew, efficiently transmitted two tungro associated viruses, and showed greater population increase and lower nymphal mortality on all cultivars except IR62 than a greenhouse population reared on TN1. Nephotettix virescens were transferred and maintained on TN1, IR26, IR36, IR64, or a mixture of the four cultivars plus IR54 and IR56 in equal proportion. When the TN1-maintained colony was tested at the third generation, its feeding behaviour and tungro transmission rates on test cultivars were similar to those of the original population but amounts of basic honeydew excretion and the transmission rate on the resistant test cultivars were greatly reduced at the seventh or later generations. When the IR26-maintained colony was tested at the sixth, ninth, or 13th generation, it exhibited lower amounts of basic honeydew excretion on the resistant test cultivars but exhibited similar transmission efficiencies on other test cultivars. When the colonies maintained on IR36, IR64, or the cultivar mixture were tested similarly, their population characteristics and virus transmission efficiency were similar to the original population. These results indicate that N. virescens retain their ‘virulence’ to resistant cultivars when maintained on resistant cultivars, but quickly lose their ‘virulence’ when maintained on a susceptible cultivar. Colonies continuously reared on IR26, IR36 or IR64 showed ‘cross-virulence’ to many cultivars possessing a variety of genes for N. virescens resistance but often differed in feeding behaviour, virus transmission efficiency, and nymphal mortality on cultivars with the same genes for leafhopper resistance.

A new powder diffractometer for synchrotron radiation with six detector arms has been constructed. Five detector arms are attached radially at intervals of 25 degrees to the 2theta axis and form a multiple-detector system. Five scintillation counters coupled with flat Ge(111) crystal analyzers on the respective arms can simultaneously record the whole powder pattern divided into five segments, each with an equal 2theta span. The optics design is based on flat-specimen reflection geometry using a parallel beam. The intensity data are collected using a 2theta step-scan technique in asymmetric diffraction at a fixed incident angle. A sixth multi-purpose detector arm can be used in the conventional single-arm scan mode. It can be equipped with various kinds of analyzers such as long horizontal parallel slits, a fiat or channel-cut crystal analyzer, a receiving slit and a solid-state detector. Test operations of the multiple-detector system, conducted at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba, recorded a full width at half maximum of 0.022 degrees and a peak maximum intensity of more than 40000 counts s(-1) for the (111) reflection from Si powder. The whole powder pattern of Mg(2)SiO(4) over a 2theta range of 130 degrees could be step-scanned at a step interval of 0.004 degrees (2theta) in just 4 h. Results of whole-powder-pattern decomposition and Rietveld refinement of the Mg(2)SiO(4) pattern are given.

The biological and serological properties of two Japanese barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV) strains (BaMMV-Kal and BaMMV-Nal) and a German BaMMV strain (BaMMV-M) were compared. Mechanical inoculation experiments showed that these three strains differed from one another in their ability to infect specific barley cultivars. BaMMV-Kal and BaMMV-M caused similar symptoms, but BaMMV-Nal clearly differed from them in its symptoms on some barley cultivars. The three BaMMV strains efficiently infected barley plants at 15°C, whereas at 20°C BaMMV-Kal and BaMMV-M also infected many plants but BaMMV-Nal infected only a few. BaMMV-Kal and BaMMV-M were indistinguishable by ELISA, while BaMMV-Nal was distinguished from both. The biological and serological variability reported shows that BaMMV occurs as two distinct strains in Japan.

Long horizontal parallel slits with angular apertures of 0.032 and 0.065 degrees were constructed for powder diffraction experiments with synchrotron radiation. They have been tested at the BL-4B experimental station at the Photon Factory by using a monochromated beam with a wavelength of 1.528 A. The horizontal parallel slits with the smaller aperture gave a full-width at half-maximum of 0.030 (1) degrees for the (200) reflection from CeO(2) and an intensity about one order of magnitude higher than that obtained with a receiving slit in the same angular resolution, demonstrating the finest horizontal parallel slits developed so far. The misalignment of the horizontal parallel slits does not affect the intensity whilst it shifts the Bragg-peak positions systematically.

The highly α,α′ selective and stereocontrolled homocoupling reaction of allylic halides was achieved using barium reagent. The double-bond geometry of the starting allylic chloride was completely retained. The α,α′ cross-coupling products were also prepared stereospecifically and regioselectively by this method.

Atomic structures and electronic properties of graphene islands on SiC(0001) surfaces are theoretically studied. Two kinds of atomic structures embedded in the SiC surface are proposed. It is also revealed that the graphene zigzag ribbons with those embedded structures show the magnetoelectric effect.

5-Lipoxygenase has been recognized to be an important enzyme that catalyzes the first step in leukotriene production. In this study we examine whether or not phospholipids containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) affect 5-lipoxygenase activity of a rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-1). Among the synthesized phospholipids examined, 1-oleoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (1-oleoyl-2-DHA-PC) was found to be the most potent inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase. The inhibition was dose-dependent and the ID50 value was 4.0 microM. When the fatty acid at the sn-2-position was replaced by other unsaturated fatty acids, the inhibitory activity decreased with decreasing numbers of both carbon atoms and double bonds in the fatty acids. Substitution at the 1-position of the DHA-containing PC also affected the inhibitory potency. If oleic acid was substituted with palmitic acid, the inhibition activity was completely abolished. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis showed that the inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase by 1-oleoyl-2-DHA-PC was non-competitive. The inhibition by this synthesized phospholipid was very specific to 5-lipoxygenase; that is, it did not extend to fatty acid cyclooxygenase, 12-lipoxygenase or 15-lipoxygenase. These results suggest that endogenously existing DHA-containing phospholipids may affect 5-lipoxygenase activity and thus control leukotriene biosynthesis in vivo.

Ultrastructural studies were made using plants of five selected rice cultivars infected with rice tungro viruses. In all cultivars, rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) was found in both xylem and phloem, while rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) was observed only in the phloem. In tolerant cultivars Balimau Putih and Utri Merah, plants infected with RTBV and RTSV or RTBV alone, had fewer cells containing tungro viruses than plants of the sensitive cultivar Taichung Native 1. In RTBV-sensitive cultivars FK 135 and ASD 8 infected with both viruses or RTBV alone, electron-dense cytoplasm was observed in most cells of the phloem. Abundant phloem necrosis was also observed in FK 135. These observations were correlated with the reaction of each rice cultivar to tungro infection.

It is well known that vascular endothelial cell (EC) migration plays a major role in regeneration of the injured endothelium and also that smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration is the important step for atheromatous plaque formation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of cholesterol and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on bovine carotid artery EC and SMC migration using the modified Boyden chamber technique. The migration activity of the cholesterol-enriched ECs loaded with cholesterol-rich liposomes was significantly suppressed, whereas that of the cholesterol-enriched SMCs was enhanced. Next, we examined the effects of EPA pretreatment on the migration of both cell types. When ECs and SMCs were treated with EPA (5 micrograms/ml) for 2 days, the EPA content increased from 0.55 +/- 0.04% to 11.72 +/- 0.19% and 1.22 +/- 0.09% to 9.69 +/- 0.07% in cellular phospholipids, respectively. Although pretreatment of the ECs with EPA caused a significant increase in serum-induced cell migration, pretreatment of SMCs had no effect. If both cell types were concomitantly pretreated with EPA and cholesterol-rich liposomes, EPA abolished the effects of cholesterol on the migration of both cell types, but did not affect the content of cholesterol in both cells. These data indicate the possibility that EPA counteracts the atherogenic effect of cholesterol on EC and SMC migration.

The highly α,α' selective and stereocontrolled homocoupling reaction of allylic halides was achieved using barium reagent. The double-bond geometry of the starting allylic chloride was completely retained. α,α' Cross-coupling products were also prepared stereospecifically and regioselectively by this method

The highly α,α′ selective and stereocontrolled homocoupling reaction of allylic halides was achieved using barium reagent. The double-bond geometry of the starting allylic chloride was completely retained. The α,α′ cross-coupling products were also prepared stereospecifically and regioselectively by this method.

Tungro virus disease of rice has been a serious problem in rice production in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. During 1977–1981, the annual population fluctuation pattern of the vectors Nephotettix virescens and N. nigropictus estimated by light trapping peaked at the end of the wet and the dry crop seasons. Average tungro incidence in monthly planted fields was higher in plots planted in the months when vector catches were greater. To solve tungro problems, an integrated management scheme was developed in 1983. The scheme had four components: (1) planting of two rice crops in those months in which the vector population is low; (2) scheduled planting to have nearly synchronous growth in each area; (3) rotation of cultivars with different degrees of resistance to N. virescens ; (4) application of insecticide to reduce vector density in tungro-affected fields. Since 1983, tungro incidence has been generally low and the use of insecticide has been drastically reduced in those areas in which the integrated management scheme was adopted. To assess the relative importance of the practices for tungro management, tungro epidemiology was studied at Sidrap and Maros, South Sulawesi. Surveys in 1985 and 1986 at Sidrap revealed that 90% of rice fields were planted following the recommended planting schedule and therefore a definite fallow period was obtained for one or more months between the dry and wet crop seasons in each area. During this period in Sidrap, an average of 78–85% of rice growers planted recommended cultivars. At Maros, peak periods in the annual green leafhopper (GLH) population fluctuation pattern in 1985–1987 appeared 1 month ahead of those in the pattern obtained during 1977–1981. The shift was probably associated with a shift of 1 month in the crop establishment for dry and wet seasons. In the 1987–1988 dry season in Sidrap, where cropping was scheduled for planting in November, four rice cultivars were planted in the first week of October, November, December, January and February, and development of the vectors and tungro were compared. Vector density was low in the October planting; it increased slowly after transplanting in the November planting, and it increased rapidly and reached high levels in the December and later plantings. The average tungro incidence at 56 days after transplanting was negligible or zero in the October, November and December plantings, but it was 20% in the January planting and as high as 60% in the February planting. In the January and February plantings, tungro incidence was also high in cultivars recommended for that dry season in the area. In the similar trial in the same season at Maros, with wet weather, the tungro incidence was negligible or zero in all plantings but the vector density was high in the February and March plantings. These results indicate that the vector source was limited and the tungro source was scanty in the two locations at the time when planting was scheduled. Tungro infection could occur, but only at the maturing stage or when planting was delayed. Low tungro incidence under the management scheme was mainly because of slow rate of vector population increase and absence or scarcity of tungro source in the area. With regard to the component practices involved, the deployment of cultivar rotation appeared to have a limited role in reducing tungro incidence. Scheduled uniform planting may be of key importance.

To establish a new non-human primate model for human cytokine and gene therapy, we characterized lymphocytes and haematopoietic progenitor cells of the small New World monkey, the common marmoset. We first assessed the reactions of marmoset bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) cells to mouse anti-human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the purpose of isolating marmoset lymphocytes and haematopoietic progenitor cells. Both cell fractions stained with CD4 and CD8 mAbs were identified as lymphocytes by cell proliferation assay and morphological examination. Myeloid-specific mAbs such as CD14 and CD33 did not react with marmoset BM and PB cells. No available CD34 and c-kit mAbs could be used to purify the marmoset haematopoietic progenitor cells. Furthermore, we studied the in vitro transduction of the bacterial beta-galactosidase (LacZ) gene into CFU-GM derived from marmoset BM using retroviral and adenoviral vectors. The transduction efficiency was increased by using a mixed culture system consisting of marmoset BM stromal cells and retroviral producer cells. It was also possible to transduce LacZ gene into marmoset haematopoietic progenitor cells with adenoviral vectors as well as retroviral vectors. The percentage of adenovirally transduced LacZ-positive clusters was 15% at day 4 (multiplicity of infection=200), but only 1-2% at day 14. The differential use of viral vector systems is to be recommended in targeting different diseases. Our results suggested that marmoset BM progenitor cells were available to examine the transduction efficiency of various viral vectors in vitro.

We show that depositing Si while annealing patterned Si(001)-(2 x 1) substrates at sublimation temperatures enhances terrace stability, permitting larger step-free areas to be produced in a given time than possible by annealing alone. We confirm this enhanced terrace stability using real-time low-energy electron microscopy observations, and quantitative microscopic modeling of step dynamics. Our measurements can be used to estimate the lateral variation in adatom concentration across large terraces, and to estimate an adatom diffusion length lambda approximately 10-30 microm at 1000 degrees C.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that consists of p40 and p35 subunits. IL-12 has been regarded as a potent inducer of host antitumor immunity through interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production and development of Th1 helper T cells from Th0 cells. Here, we demonstrate the immunomodulatory actions of an IL-12-transduced murine lung cancer cell line, Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) (LLC/IL12) cells, in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. We also report on their therapeutic potency. Three LLC/IL12 cells producing different levels of IL-12 were cloned and found to have diminished tumorigenicity in C57BL/6 mice depending on their level of IL-12 production. In vivo depletion assay demonstrated that the loss of tumorigenicity of LLC/IL12 depended on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and that natural killer (NK) cells were involved, especially in the early phase of immunity. The strong systemic antitumor immunity against challenge with wild type LLC (LLC/wt) cells was also induced by LLC/IL12 cells. The systemic antitumor memory was found to be dependent mainly on the CD4+ T-cell subset. 51Cr-release assay revealed that the killer activity consisted of a specific killer activity directed at the parental LLC/wt cells and a nonspecific killer activity directed at both LLC/wt and syngeneic EL-4 thymoma cells. In addition, LLC/IL12 apparently had a much stronger antitumor effect against the established LLC/wt tumor than LLC transduced with B7-1 or GM-CSF cDNA. IL-12 can be considered an efficient candidate molecule for immunogene therapy for lung cancer in this experimental system.

Michael addition of cytosine, N4-dimethyl-aminomethylidene-cytosine, uracil and thymine to the nitroolefin (2) generated in situ from 1-(4,6-O-benzylidene-3-deoxy-3-nitro-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-uracil (1) gave the corresponding 2-(N1-pyrimidinyl)-2,3-dideoxy-3-nitro-beta-D-glucopyranosides (3-6). Compound 3 was also obtainable from 4.

La diversité isozymique du riz asiatique cultivé permet l'identification de différents groupes variétaux dont la correspondance avec les groupes morphologiques classiques est seulement partielle. On retrouve la même structure globale quand des nombres plus importants d'autres marqueurs moléculaires sont surveillés. Pour rationaliser les études comparatives sur la diversité, nous avons choisi 261 entrées, pour représenter l'éventail complet des variations pour différents paramètres, incluant l'origine géographique, le type de culture et la classification basée sur les isozymes. Nous avons contrôlé les réactions de ces entrées à 3 maladies importantes inoculées artificiellement : pyriculariose avec Pyricularia grisea, flétrissement foliaire bactérien avec Xanthomonas oryzae et maladie du rice tungro virus. Les différents groupes ont été comparés par rapport à un schéma de classification des isozymes. Ils ont fourni des réponses contrastées avec des différences principales dans les fréquences de résistance et la spécialisation forte de certaines souches de référence, particulièrement pour la pyriculariose. Les groupes variétaux meneurs sont apparus particulièrement riches en matériels résistants