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The reported prevalence of sarcopenia has shown a wide range, crucially based on the diagnostic criteria and setting. This cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence of sarcopenia and sought to identify factors associated with sarcopenia on admission in a specialized geriatric rehabilitation setting based on the newly developed the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia algorithm. Among 87 participants (mean age, 76.05 ± 7.57 years), 35 (40.2%) were classified as showing sarcopenia on admission. Prevalence was high, particularly among participants ≥80 years old, with tendencies toward lower body mass index, smoking habit, lower cognitive function, and greater functional impairment compared with the non-sarcopenic group. Identification of sarcopenia in elderly patients before rehabilitation and consideration of risk factors may prove helpful in achieving rehabilitation outcomes.

Bevacizumab has been reported to increase blood pressure. However, the factors, including patient characteristics and laboratory data contributing to this side effect remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relationships between increased blood pressure and bevacizumab administration, patient characteristics, and laboratory data. Between April 2007 and January 2018, factor analysis was retrospectively conducted by monitoring increases in blood pressure, the status of bevacizumab administration, patient characteristics, and laboratory data before the first administration in Japanese patients with colorectal cancer who satisfied the criteria for this study. Sixty-seven patients were included, 34 of whom (50.7%) had an increase in blood pressure after bevacizumab administration. On univariate analysis, liver metastasis, antihypertensive drug use, systolic blood pressure at rest before the first bevacizumab administration, body mass index, creatinine, and blood platelet count were significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate analysis was conducted using increased blood pressure as an objective variable and the factors extracted by the univariate analysis as explanatory variables. The results suggested that liver metastasis, antihypertensive drugs, systolic blood pressure at rest before the first bevacizumab administration, and creatinine were associated with the increase in blood pressure. Furthermore, a log-rank test performed based on Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that liver metastasis in patients not taking antihypertensive drugs and antihypertensive drug use in patients without liver metastasis were significantly associated with increased blood pressure. Additionally, liver metastasis in patients with antihypertensive drug use was significantly associated with increased blood pressure. Our findings suggest that liver metastasis and antihypertensive drug use, which was previously reported, are risk factors for increased blood pressure.

Europium-doped strontium aluminate [SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ] (SAOE) emits green light under an applied mechanical stress in a phenomenon called mechanoluminescence (ML). In order to clarify the relationship between ML and its structure, the microstructure, phase transformation behavior and structural change under a load on SAO ceramics were investigated. The microstructures were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It has been that SAO has a twin structure with three kinds of morphologies. The phase transformation behavior was investigated using differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurements and observation of the microstructures. It is indicated that the twin structures are formed by a thermoelastic martensitic transformation from a hexagonal (β) to a monoclinic (α) phase at about 670 °C. In addition, the structural change under a load was observed by in situ TEM nanoindentation. It is clarified that pseudoelastic deformation occurred in SAO. These results suggest that ML occurs with rearrangement of variants of α phase.

This paper presents a novel current-resonant-type dc-dc converter. In general, the current-resonant-type converters have several remarkable features such as high efficiency, small size, low cost, and low noise and are often used in many electronic systems such as personal computers, flat-panel displays, and so forth. The current-resonant-type converters commonly employ the pulse frequency modulation for the regulation of the output voltage, and their magnetizing inductance is set relatively small. For this reason, the magnetizing current through the converter causes nonnegligible power losses under not only the light load but also standby conditions. Therefore, power supply systems using this type of converter have a problem in which the required smaller size is not able to be achieved because an auxiliary converter is necessary for the standby operation. In order to solve this problem, a novel current resonant converter has been proposed, in which two driving methods are employed. In these driving methods, the high-side MOSFET, as one of two main switches, is driven by an auxiliary winding of the transformer; and the low-side MOSFET, as another main switch, is driven by the driving integrated circuit with a low withstand voltage. As a result, it is clarified that the output voltage regulation is performed well in the useful operation modes. The maximum efficiency is 95.4% at the rated output power.

We designed and fabricated an active gas-gap heat switch (AGGHS), which ON/OFF the heat conduction between the 1st stage (0.05–2 K) and the 2nd stage (1–4 K) of a double-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (DADR). Our design geometrically separates two components which dominates the ON or OFF performance, and achieved heat conductivity of 6 mW/K (ON) or 4 μW/K (OFF) at 2 K. The ON/OFF is controlled by a heater attached to the charcoal box to adsorb/deadsorb 4He gas inside. We introduced the AGGHS to the DADR and successfully cooled the detector stage down to 60 mK, working properly more than a year.

The fate of pharmaceuticals in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Kumamoto, Japan with activated sludge treatment is reported. Selected pharmaceuticals were detected in influent. Results from the present study confirmed that Acetaminophen, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin and Famotidine were removed at a high rate (90% efficiency). In contrast, removal efficiency of Ketoprofen, Losartan, Oseltamivir, Carbamazepine, and Diclofenac was relatively low (50%). The selected pharmaceuticals were also detected in raw sludge. In digestive process, Indomethacin, Atenolol, Famotidine, Trimethoprim and Cyclofosamide were removed at a high (70% efficiency). On the other hand, removal of Carbamazepine, Ketoprofen and Diclofenac was not efficient (50%).

The aim of this study was to identify long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in Aceh 4.5 years after the tsunami and to examine whether certain factors affected the severity of PTSD symptoms among adolescents. The PTSD symptoms of 482 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years were assessed according to the Child Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI). The severity of the disaster was identified by the Traumatic Exposure Severity Scale (TESS). Of the adolescents who completed the questionnaire, 54 (11.2%), 124 (25.7%), 196 (40.7%), 103 (21.4%) and 5 (1%), respectively, reported none, mild, moderate, severe and very severe symptoms on CPTSD-RI. Gender, loss of parents, somatic response and support level were significantly associated with the total score on CPTSD-RI (P < 0.05). The TESS-Occurrence Scale and CPTSD-RI were significantly correlated (r= 0.33, P < 0.05). The TESS-Distress Scale was significantly correlated with CPTSD-RI (r= 0.48, P < 0.05). The study indicated that the symptoms of PTSD, ranging from very severe to moderate, could persist for a long time after the tsunami and be affected by gender, loss of parents, somatic response, support level and severity of the disaster.

Background and aims Patients who experience heart failure are prone to malnutrition. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of malnutrition on physical function in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation following heart failure. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in consecutive patients hospitalized for cardiac rehabilitation following heart failure. Nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short-Form (MNA-SF). Physical function was evaluated using the Barthel index (BI). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine whether nutritional status was associated with BI in these patients. Results The present study included 105 patients (mean age of 77.3 years; 56 men and 49 women) for analysis. The median (interquartile range) scores of the MNA-SF and BI were 11 (9–13) and 75 (45–90), respectively. Patients with malnutrition (MNA-SF Conclusion Nutritional status is associated with physical function in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation following heart failure. Early detection of malnutrition can help promote nutritional support to improve functional recovery in these patients.

In order to clarify crack propagation behavior of alumina (α-Al2O3), intergranular and transgranular fractures of alumina were investigated by electron microscopy techniques. For the intergranular fractures cracked grain boundaries were investigated by scanning electron microscopic electron back-scattered diffraction (SEM-EBSD) analysis. It was revealed that the intergranular fracture behavior of polycrystalline alumina with random distribution of crystallographic orientations is independent on grain boundary characters. For the transgranular fractures, fracture surfaces formed in a single-crystalline alumina were observed by electron tomography combined with high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and high resolution TEM (HR-TEM). Three kinds of fracture surfaces were observed: even fracture surfaces, even fracture surfaces with step-terraces and fracture surfaces composed of the even fracture surface and the curved one. The even fracture surfaces mostly consist of cleavage planes parallel to { 1 1 ¯ 0 2 } and { 1 1 ¯ 0 4 } . On the other hand, the even fracture surfaces with step-terraces consist of the cleavage planes and basal planes (0 0 0 1). For the fracture surfaces composed of the even fracture surface and the curved one, both the even and curved shapes the even parts were formed by the fine cleavage planes and basal planes, whose intervals were inhomogeneous. It was indicated that the fracture surfaces in alumina are composed of the cleavage planes or basal plane at an atomic scale.

This paper reports the mechanical property and crack propagation behavior of thin ceramics. A method to evaluate the stress intensity factor, KI, of thin ceramics was proposed. Dependence of KI values on the average grain size, d, of thin α-alumina were measured by the method. KI values of thin α-alumina decreased with increasing d values from 4.3 μm to 15.2 μm, while the KI values were almost constant for 15.2 μm≤d≤63.0 μm. The trend of KI values agreed with the dependence of fracture toughness, Kc, of bulk α-alumina. The thin α-alumina specimens after crack propagation were investigated by scanning electron microscopic electron back-scattered diffraction (SEM/EBSD) analysis. Branched cracks were hardly observed, regardless of grain size. The result indicates that the toughing mechanism do not occur in the thin α-alumina. Dependence of the transgranular fracture rate, F, and the crack deflection rate, D, on d were measured from the orientation distribution maps. However, the F values and the D values were independent of d and approximately constant. The F values and D values depend on d in bulk α-alumina. It indicates that the crack propagation behavior is varied by thinning α-alumina.

Long-term creep-rupture strength of low C–2.25Cr–1.6W–V–Nb steel (HCM2S; KA-STBA/PA24J1, T23/P23, ASME CC2199) has been studied and reassessed using the oxidation correction method after Nakashiro et al. Their long-term creep strengths are found to be very stable at temperatures between 500 and 600 °C. A severe oxidation of the creep-rupture specimens has been identified at high temperatures above 600 °C and the longer term rupture time tends to decline below the extrapolated curve. An oxidation correction has been found to be effective to evaluate the long-term creep-strength stability of the steel and worked well in the case of 2.25Cr–1Mo steel (ASME T22/P22). It is thus concluded that in low C–2.25Cr–1.6W–V–Nb steel no creep-strength degradation apart from that due to oxidation at high temperatures is expected, in contrast to results on advanced high Cr steels.

The behavior of estrogens (estrone: E1, 17beta-estradiol: E2, estriol: E3 and ethinylestradiol: EE2) and an androgen (testosterone) in the water and sludge from Johkasou in Japan was investigated. The concentrations of E1, E2, E3 and testosterone in water samples from the Johkasou were 33-500, N.D. approximately 150, N.D. approximately 6,700 and 500 ng/L, respectively. In sludge samples, the concentrations of E1, E2, E3, and testostrerone were N.D. approximately 39, N.D. approximately 6.7, N.D. approximately 60 and 0.2-9.0 ng/L, respectively. EE2 was not detected in all samples. The removal rates of E1, E2, E3 and testosterone in Johkasou were 45%-91%, 66%-100%, 90%-100%, and about 90%, respectively.

Eighteen Swedish patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy were tested for the met30 mutation of the transthyretin (TTR) (prealbumin) gene by RFLP analysis of genomic DNA using the restriction enzyme NsiI. The results confirmed previous findings that the Swedish variant of familial polyneuropathy has the same valine by methionine substitution at position 30, as seen in patients with FAP from Japan, Portugal or patients of Swedish descent from USA. However, two of the patients were homozygous, totally lacking the wild type allele. Measurable serum values for the variant transthyretin (TTR) was detected with a RIA-method in all the 18 Swedish FAP patients studied with a mean concentration of 12.1 +/- 5.1 (SD) mg/100 ml, (11.0 +/- 4.1 when the two homozygotes were excluded). In 45 Japanese patients the mean was 9.2 +/- 2.7 mg/100 ml. The variant TTR was not detected in the healthy controls. The value for the variant TTR was nearly twice that high in the two homozygous patients, 21.14 and 21.16 mg/100 ml, respectively. There was no correlation between the serum levels of variant TTR and the duration of disease or levels of serum albumin in the FAP-patients.

This paper deals with an analysis of the power efficiency of a multi-oscillated current resonant type DC-DC converter. The current resonant type converter employs generally the pulse frequency modulation. For this reason, the magnetizing current through the converter causes not only a power loss under a light load, but also a loss during stand-by. In order to solve these problems, a multi-oscillated current resonant type DC-DC converter has been proposed, and revealed the advantage of its control method which can reduce power loss under light load and keep low switching noise. An analytical relationship of among states, operating mode and efficiency characteristics of this converter are defined. As a result, it was confirmed that for this converter, the output power depends on the voltage of resonant capacitor, and consequently, it is important to determine constants of resonant capacitor and inductance of transformer. The maximum efficiency is 95.4% with the magnetizing inductance 1.8 mH., 2008 IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference - PESC 2008 : Rhodes, Greece, 2008.06.15-2008.06.19, 2008 IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, pp.1646-1650

This paper presents a new deformable model using both population-based and patient-specific shape statistics to segment lung fields from serial chest radiographs. There are two novelties in the proposed deformable model. First, a modified scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) local descriptor, which is more distinctive than the general intensity and gradient features, is used to characterize the image features in the vicinity of each pixel. Second, the deformable contour is constrained by both population-based and patient-specific shape statistics, and it yields more robust and accurate segmentation of lung fields for serial chest radiographs. In particular, for segmenting the initial time-point images, the population-based shape statistics is used to constrain the deformable contour; as more subsequent images of the same patient are acquired, the patient-specific shape statistics online collected from the previous segmentation results gradually takes more roles. Thus, this patient-specific shape statistics is updated each time when a new segmentation result is obtained, and it is further used to refine the segmentation results of all the available time-point images. Experimental results show that the proposed method is more robust and accurate than other active shape models in segmenting the lung fields from serial chest radiographs.

application/pdf, A proposed design of a low-cost digital pulse width modulation (DPWM) control circuit for non-isolated DC-DC converter without A/D converter is described. Also, propsed realtime PID control technique for DPWM is described. Some experimental results and simulation results are revealed the proposed circuit and scheme. The purpose of this research is striking a balance between minimizing cost increase by digitalizing of the control circuit of DC-DC converter and speeding up the control circuit., INTELEC 07 - 29th International Telecommunications Energy Conference : Rome, Italy, 2007.09.30-2007.10.4, INTELEC 2007, pp.342-347

This paper presents a partially resonant active filter based on a digital PWM control circuit with a DSP that can improve the power factor and input current harmonic distortion factor of distributed power supply systems in communications buildings. The steady-state and dynamic characteristics of this active filter are analyzed experimentally and the relationship between the control variables of digital control circuit with the DSP and performance characteristics such as regulation of the output voltage, input power factor, input current harmonic distortion factor, boundaries of stabilities and transient response are defined. Using the partially resonant circuit, the efficiency is over 91%, which is 0.9 point higher than that of non-resonant circuit and the high frequency switching noise is suppressed. Furthermore, the digital control strategy with the DSP proposed in this paper can realize the superior transient response of input current and output voltage for the step change of load, the power factor over 0.99 and total harmonic distortion factor less than 1.1%.

This paper presents the analysis of a new multi-oscillated current resonant type DC-DC converter. Current resonant converters have several remarkable features such as high efficiency, small size, low cost and low noise, and are frequently employed in many portable electronic systems such as personal computers, cellular phones and flat panel displays. The current resonant type converter generally employs pulse frequency modulation for constant voltage control in the output. For this reason, the magnetizing current through the converter not only causes a power loss under a light load, but also a loss during stand-by. Therefore, this type of converter has a problem in that the required smaller size cannot be achieved, because an auxiliary source is necessary for stand-by. In order to solve these problems, a new current resonant type power supply is proposed in which two driving methods are employed. In these driving methods, one MOSFET as a main switch is driven by an auxiliary winding of the transformer and another MOSFET as a main switch is driven by the driving IC with a low withstand voltage. Good agreement of the observed and simulated waveforms was confirmed. In addition, eight distinct states and four distinct operating modes, which compose of the sequence of states, were clarified by experimental and simulated analysis., INTELEC 07 - 29th International Telecommunications Energy Conference : Rome, Italy, 2007.09.30-2007.10.4, INTELEC 07, pp.348-354; 2007

Magnetic field dependencies of the Ic of the IBAD/CVD-YBCO short tape sample and its small coil sample were measured in high fields, up to 18 T at 77 K. Compared with the Ic of the tape sample, the Ic of the coil sample at 0.1 muV/cm showed the same tendency in high fields. If YBCO tape is applied to a high-field coil application, the application should be operated at a temperature which is lower than 77 K. Using long CVD-YBCO tape, six stacked pancake coils were fabricated. Various current tests were conducted using one of these stacked coils. In AC current tests, thermal stability of the YBCO coil was estimated. When the peak values of AC current were 1.2 times higher than the maximum DC current in a thermal stable state, Idcmax, and the average electric field of the coil at the first triangular wave was about 10 times higher than 1 muV/cm criterion, the peak values of the built-up voltage did not tend to increase even after the 99th triangular wave current, and thermal run-away in the coil was not observed. In DC current with overlapped pulse current tests, the maximum peak current of the coil in a thermal stable state was obtained as a function of DC current and sweep time. It was 1.3 times higher than Ic and 1.4 times higher than Idcmax in a test condition. These results indicate that the YBCO coil has high potential in short-time, over-current operations at high temperatures. In cases where built-up voltages did not disappear, they began to increase just after the coil currents reverted to the initial DC currents. It was found that DC current influenced the increasing speed of built-up voltages once the pulse current had decreased to zero.

This study investigated the prevalence, location, and severity of neck and shoulder pain (NSP), its disturbance of quality of life (QOL), and the factors related to NSP in Japanese postpartum women.The study involved 308 postpartum women who had a medical examination one month after delivery. The questionnaire consisted of the background and details of NSP. Mood states were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B), Japanese Version.The prevalence of NSP was 73.1%, one-fourth of which occurred after birth. The most common area was the superior part of the trapezium muscles. Prevalence was associated with past history of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), anemia during pregnancy, time per breastfeeding, and the mean POMS-B Fatigue score. Total breastfeeding time a day, the mean POMS-B score for Fatigue, Confusion, Anger-Hostility, and Depression were significantly higher for "worse" after birth than those for "no-change/relief". The disturbance of daily life due to NSP in postpartum women with past history of PMS and Hiesho were significant higher than that for women without those.The prevalence of NSP in postpartum women was very high. The factors which affect NSP were the mental states, breastfeeding, past history of PMS, and anemia during pregnancy.

AgGaSe 2 thin films were prepared on quartz glass by using an evaporation method at room temperature. Some of the samples were annealed at temperatures from 100 to 600 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere for 10 min. X-ray diffraction showed that single phase AgGaSe 2 could be grown at an annealing temperature of 600 °C. From transmittance and reflectance spectra, an absorption coefficient of 10 5 cm − 1 around bandgap region and bandgap energy of 1.787 eV could be obtained.

The Schottky barrier height (SBH) of Al, Ti, Au, and Ni contacts to n- and p-type 3C-SiC is investigated by means of I-V and C-V measurements. All metal contacts to n- (net donor concentration: 1.0 x 1016 /cm3) and p-type (net acceptor concentration: 4 x 1016 /cm3) 3C-SiC show the rectifying I-V characteristics except for Al contact to n-type 3C-SiC. Only Al contact to n-type 3C-SiC shows the ohmic characteristics. As the work function of metal is increased from 4.3 (Ti) to 5.2 (Ni) eV, SBH for n-type 3C-SiC is increased from 0.4 to 0.7 eV and SBH for p-type 3C-SiC is decreased from 2.2 to 1.8 eV. The small change of SBH for 3C-SiC may be correlated to the crystal orientation and the defects on the surface of 3C-SiC.

Polycrystalline AgInSe2 thin films were successfully grown on glass substrates by an evaporation method. The starting materials were stoichiometrically mixed Ag2Se and In2Se3 powders. X-ray diffraction revealed that the sample annealed at 600 °C consisted of AgInSe2 single phase, with (112) orientation and a large grain size. The lattice constant (a axis) was close to JCPDS values. From optical transmittance and reflectance measurements, the bandgap energy was estimated to be 1.17 eV. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

AgGaSe2 thin film was deposited on glass substrates by vacuum evaporation method. The starting material was mixed Ag2Se and Ga2Se3 powders. Ag/Ga ratios of the samples were 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7 and 0.4. The samples were annealed from 100 to 600 °C for 10 min. After these processes, single phase AgGaSe2 thin films could be obtained except Ag/Ga ratio of 0.4 at annealing temperature of 600 °C. Ag-rich samples had large grain. On the other hand, Ga-rich samples had small grain. Furthermore, Ga-rich and Ag-rich samples indicated p- and n-types because of Ag- and/or Ga-vacancy and Se-vacancy, respectively. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Undoped polycrystalline AgGaSe2 crystals were successfully grown at a low temperature (700 °C) using a hot-press method. The sizes of the samples were 2 cm in diameter. The grain size was approximately 55 nm. The presence of lattice defects such as Se vacancies and/or Ag interstitials may lead to an enhancement in electrical conductivity. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Structural, electrical and optical properties of Bi-doped CuInS2 thin films prepared by a single-source thermal evaporation method were investigated. The as-deposited films were annealed in the temperature range between 100 and 500 °C for 10 min in air. The film of chalcopyrite CuInS2 single phase was obtained by annealing at 200 °C successfully. It was found that Bi atoms enhanced the growth of CuInS2 single phase at lower temperature. Furthermore, the crystalline quality of doped films was higher compared with the non-doped ones. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The mechanism of peritoneal fibrosis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is poorly elucidated. We investigated the cellular mechanism of high-glucose-induced expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), which is important in recruiting monocytes into the peritoneum and progression of peritoneal fibrosis, and examined the inhibitory mechanism of glucocorticoids. Rat peritoneal mesothelial cells were cultured in high-glucose-containing medium and then analyzed for phosphorylation levels of p42/44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases (MAPK), MAPK or extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK)1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1/2, and protein kinase C (PKC) by Western blotting. Expression of MCP-1 was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. High glucose increased MCP-1 mRNA and MCP-1 protein expression. Although glucose increased phosphorylation of MEK1/2, p42/44 MAPK, p38 MAPK, JNK1/2, and PKC, and DNA-binding activity of NF-kappaB, its effect on MCP-1 expression was suppressed only by PKC and NF-kappaB inhibitors. Mannitol caused a similar increase in PKC and NF-kappaB activation and MCP-1 synthesis. Prednisolone increased I-kappaB-alpha expression and inhibited glucose/mannitol-induced NF-kappaB DNA binding and MCP-1 expression without affecting PKC phosphorylation. The inhibitory effects of prednisolone on MCP-1 expression were reversed by mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. Our results indicate that glucose induces MCP-1 mainly through hyperosmolarity by activating PKC and its downstream NF-kappaB, and that such effect was inhibited by prednisolone, suggesting the efficacy of prednisolone in preventing peritoneal fibrosis in patients on CAPD.

The development of molecular genetic maps has accelerated the identification and mapping of genomic regions controlling quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in rice. The degree of gibberellin response affects various physiological processes in plant growth and development. This study was conducted to map QTLs for gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) response in the rice seedling stage in a recombinant inbred (RI) population derived from a cross of a japonica variety, Asominori (lower GA 3 response), with an indica variety, IR24 (higher GA 3 response), using 289 RFLP markers. Continuous phenotypic variation of GA 3 response index and transgressive segregation in both parental directions were observed, suggesting that GA 3 response in regard to seedling plant height was a quantitatively inherited trait in the RI population. Five QTLs controlling GA 3 response were identified and mapped to chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 6 and 12, respectively. Among them, the largest effect QTL ( q GAR-1), located between G2200 and C86 on chromosome 1, explained 28.2–34.1% of the total phenotypic variation. The second largest effect QTL ( q GAR-12) was detected near C751 on chromosome 12 and accounted for 13.2–16.5% of total variation. The remaining three QTLs on chromosome 3, 4 and 6, explained 5.1–6.4% of total phenotypic variation, respectively. In addition, alleles with increasing and decreasing GA 3 response effects were detected from both parents. The molecular markers tightly linked to GA 3 response QTLs lead to the isolation of loci and will help us to better understand GA 3 response mechanisms in rice.

Uterine leiomyomas develop during the reproductive years and regress after menopause, indicating ovarian steroid-dependent growth potential. Although the clinical and biochemical observations have traditionally supported an important role for estrogen in the promotion of leiomyoma growth, there is also increasing evidence to suggest the involvement of progesterone in the pathogenesis of leiomyoma. In this review, much attention has been paid to characterizing the molecular mechanisms of sex steroidal regulation of leiomyoma growth and apoptosis by evaluating the effects of sex steroids on the expression of growth factors and apoptosis-related factors. The effects of GnRH agonist on the expression of these factors in leiomyoma are also described. 17beta-Estradiol up-regulates epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, but down-regulates p53 protein in leiomyoma cells, whereas progesterone augments EGF and Bcl-2 protein, but inhibits insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and tumour necrosis factor (TNFalpha). Since it is now evident that EGF and IGF-I act as local factors which stimulate leiomyoma growth, these findings suggest that progesterone may have dual actions, stimulatory and inhibitory, on leiomyoma cell growth and survival, depending on the local growth factor conditions around each leiomyoma. This may explain why the size of uterine leiomyomas during the use of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) increases in some but decreases in other instances. This may also explain why the size of leiomyomas during pregnancy does not increase despite the overwhelming increase in circulating concentrations of sex steroid hormones. Moreover, there is further evidence to suggest that the interactions between estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors may be involved in the modulation of gene transcription activity in leiomyoma. This review demonstrates that leiomyoma growth is integrally regulated by the complex cross-talk between sex steroid hormones and growth factors.

Plasma levels of adrenomedullin, a potent vasodilator peptide, are increased in cirrhotic patients, whereas its role in vascular hyporeactivity in cirrhosis has not been clarified.Adrenomedullin expression was evaluated by radioimmunoassay and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Vascular reactivity to phenylephrine, alpha-adrenoceptor agonist, was investigated in the aortic rings from control rats and CCl-induced cirrhotic rats with ascites in the presence of the neutralizing antibody against adrenomedullin, human adrenomedullin and/or N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor.Plasma adrenomedullin levels were significantly higher in cirrhotic rats than in controls (16.3 +/- 2.9 versus 7.4 +/- 1.7 fmol/mL, P0.05) and correlated negatively with systemic arterial pressure (r = -0.62, P0.05). Gene expression of adrenomedullin in various organs (liver, kidney, lung) and vessels (portal vein, aorta) was enhanced in cirrhotic rats compared with controls. Neutralizing antibody against adrenomedullin ameliorated the blunted contractile response to phenylephrine in cirrhotic aorta (Rmax: 1.5 +/- 0.1 versus 1.0 +/- 0.1 g/mg tissue, P0.05), whereas contraction remained unchanged in control aorta (Rmax: 1.9 +/- 0.2 versus 1.9 +/- 0.2 g/mg tissue). Intravenous infusion of human adrenomedullin induced a reduction of mean arterial pressure together with an increase of serum nitrate levels, which was abolished by neutralizing antibody against adrenomedullin. Human adrenomedullin caused a blunted contractile response to phenylephrine in both control and cirrhotic aortas, which was not observed in the presence of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester.These findings indicate that the overproduction of adrenomedullin may contribute to vascular hyporeactivity in cirrhosis via a release of nitric oxide.

Reduced plasminogen activity with a normal level of antigen is commonly observed in Japanese individuals. The first reported patient with plasminogen deficiency was accompanied with deep vein thrombosis. The present study examines whether heterozygous or homozygous deficiency of plasminogen is a risk factor for thrombotic disease. This study measures the plasminogen activity of 4517 individuals in the general population, determines the cut-off to define plasminogen deficiency, and identifies plasminogen deficiencies in the control groups and thrombotic disease groups. In another study, we examined the phenotypes of consecutive patients with homozygous plasminogen deficiency detected in our hospital. We found 173 and two of 4517 individuals to have heterozygous and homozygous deficiency with normal plasminogen antigen level, respectively, and 19 to have heterozygous deficiency with reduced antigen levels. The incidence of plasminogen deficiency in an age- and sex-matched control group (13/324, 4.01% for deep vein thrombosis or 13/330, 3.94% for stroke) selected from the 4517 individuals was not significantly different from those in patients with deep vein thrombosis (3/108, 2.78%) or cardioembolic stroke (6/110, 5.55%). Among 19 patients with homozygous plasminogen deficiency showing about 10% plasminogen activity, none had deep vein thrombosis. These findings indicate that neither heterozygous nor homozygous plasminogen deficiency constitutes a significant risk factor for thrombotic disease.

The television receiver often employs a capacitor-input-type rectifier. In this case, it is regulated as a class D piece of equipment. This paper presents a novel ringing-choke-converter-type switching regulator, which functions as an active filter. The proposed circuit features a simple circuit configuration and cost effectiveness. It achieves a high power factor of about 0.95 and reduces current harmonics (third, fifth, and seventh) in the AC input current to less than 40% of the limit value for class D. The voltage across the input smoothing capacitor does not show large variations and the components in the conventional ringing-choke converter can be used unmodified. Ripple content of the DC output voltage shows a slight increase and is the subject for future research.

Background— C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 are important risk factors for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In the present study, we examined serum levels of CRP and IL-6, IL-6 production by monocytes, and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods and Results— After polysomnography, venous blood was collected at 5 am from 30 patients with OSAS and 14 obese control subjects. Serum levels of CRP and IL-6 and spontaneous production of IL-6 by monocytes were investigated. In addition, the effects of 1 month of nCPAP were studied in patients with moderate to severe OSAS. Levels of CRP and IL-6 were significantly higher in patients with OSAS than in obese control subjects (CRP P P P P P P Conclusions— Levels of CRP and IL-6 and spontaneous production of IL-6 by monocytes are elevated in patients with OSAS but are decreased by nCPAP. Therefore, OSAS is associated with increased risks for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and nCPAP may be useful for decreasing these risks.

Fabrication of fullerenes (C 60 , C 70 , etc.) by direct evaporation of C–Si mixed powder using radio frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma were made to find a suitable gas kind and pressure for fullerene synthesis. The results showed that: (1) 150 Torr lower pressure and He/Ar mixed gas are more suitable for fullerene synthesis than higher pressure and pure Ar gas, and (2) it is important for fullerenes synthesis that the radiation intensity of C 2 and C spectra is stronger at 10 mm below coil end, i.e. high-temperature plasma torch region, and it becomes very weak at 150 mm below coil end, i.e. inside the reactor chamber. Furthermore, numerical simulation was carried out to derive the temperature and gas flow fields in the plasma torch and reactor chamber. The calculation results indicate that He mixing into Ar gas can increase the temperature-gradient at the center axis of the plasma torch, and that pressure has a distinct effect on plasma axial velocity distribution.

Summary Background Suplatast tosilate is an anti-allergic agent that suppresses cytokine production by human Th2 cells. Objective We investigated the effects of suplatast tosilate on the production of thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) by T cells from allergic patients with asthma. Methods Purified protein derivative (PPD)-specific Th1 cell lines and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f)-specific Th2 cell lines were established from nine patients with house dust mite-allergic asthma. The effects of suplatast tosilate on mRNA expression of TARC and protein production of TARC from antigen-specific Th1 or Th2 cell lines were investigated after stimulation with relevant antigens or phytohemagglutinin (PHA). In addition, the effects of IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ on TARC production by Der f-specific Th2 cell lines in the presence or absence of suplatast tosilate were studied. Results Although PPD-specific Th1 cell lines did not produce TARC after stimulation with PPD antigen or PHA, stimulation of Der f-specific Th2 cell lines with Der f antigen or PHA increased production of TARC. Suplatast tosilate significantly and dose-dependently inhibited production of TARC by Der f-specific Th2 cell lines stimulated with either Der f antigen (76.5% inhibition at 100 µg/mL, P