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Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) might benefit less from immunotherapy. Materials and methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from consecutive patients with non-viral advanced HCC, treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, lenvatinib, or sorafenib, in 36 centers in 4 countries (Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and UK). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib, and OS and PFS with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus sorafenib. For the primary and secondary endpoints, we carried out the analysis on the whole population first, and then we divided the cohort into two groups: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) population and non-NAFLD/NASH population. Results: One hundred and ninety patients received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, 569 patients received lenvatinib, and 210 patients received sorafenib. In the whole population, multivariate analysis showed that treatment with lenvatinib was associated with a longer OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-0.95; P = 0.0268] and PFS (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.51-0.86; P = 0.002) compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. In the NAFLD/NASH population, multivariate analysis confirmed that lenvatinib treatment was associated with a longer OS (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.26-0.84; P = 0.0110) and PFS (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.38-0.82; P = 0.031) compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. In the subgroup of non-NAFLD/NASH patients, no difference in OS or PFS was observed between patients treated with lenvatinib and those treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. All these results were confirmed following propensity score matching analysis. By comparing patients receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus sorafenib, no statistically significant difference in survival was observed. Conclusions: The present analysis conducted on a large number of advanced non-viral HCC patients showed for the first time that treatment with lenvatinib is associated with a significant survival benefit compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, in particular in patients with NAFLD/NASH-related HCC.

To determine the clinical characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients undergoing interferon-free antihepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy, we examined HBV DNA in 25 HBV co-infected patients and 765 patients with resolved HBV infection during and after treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Among those with HCV genotype 1, asunaprevir plus daclatasvir was administered to 160 patients, sofosbuvir (SOF) plus ledipasvir to 438 patients and paritaprevir plus ombitasvir and ritonavir to 25 patients. In total, 167 patients with genotype 2 were treated with SOF plus ribavirin. Three patients with an HBV DNA level ≥2000 IU/mL were treated with entecavir before anti-HCV therapy, without reactivation of HBV. In 3 of 22 (12%) HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients with an HBV DNA level

Although the macroscopic characteristics of submucosal tumors (SMTs), such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), have been characterized, the assessment of SMTs by their endoscopically visualized features (EVF; which are observed by endoscopic imaging under direct view) remains unevaluated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of endoscopic diagnostics for SMTs using EVF. The EVF of 26 gastric SMT cases, in which the final pathological diagnosis was obtained by core biopsy using the submucosal endoscopy with mucosal flap method, were retrospectively reviewed. Each type of SMT was classified according to the following five EVF: Color, clarity, shape, tumor coating and solidity. Additionally, the EVF of 13 low-risk GISTs and 13 benign submucosal tumors (BSTs) were comparatively evaluated for the five abovementioned EVF. Similar trends were identified between the low-risk GISTs, granular cell tumors and the schwannoma with regard to EVF. However, while these tumors exhibited cloudy EVF, the leiomyomas tended to exhibit clear EVF. Among SMTs of the heterotopic pancreas type, the EVF demonstrated particularly small nodules of the pancreatic tissue itself. Although the sample size included in the present study is small, a classification system for gastric SMTs was proposed according to the EVF. When compared with the BST group, the GIST group demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of tumors that exhibited a combination of three EVF (white, cloudy and rigid) that are consistent with all gastric GISTs (P

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for upper gastrointestinal (GI) subepithelial tumors (SETs) originating in the muscularis propria (MP) layer is associated with numerous issues regarding secure closure and measures against accidental perforation. However, symptomatic benign GI SETs or carcinoid tumors originating in the submucosa (SM) may be safely resected en-bloc using ESD. In this study, the feasibility and safety of ESD as a novel method for endoscopic resection for such GI SETs revealed on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was investigated. A total of 12 consecutive cases of patients with symptomatic benign SETs (n=3; 1 esophageal hemangioma and 2 gastric lipomas) or small carcinoid tumors (n=9

The magnesium composites containing Zr 2 (WO 4 )(PO 4 ) 2 (ZWP) particles with negative thermal expansion (NTE) were synthesized. Dense, unreacted Mg/ZWP composites were fabricated by extruding the two component powders. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the mechanical properties of the composites were examined. The CTE of Mg/ZWP composites decreased with an increase in the amount of ZWP in the composites, though the effect was not significant probably because of the low bulk modulus of ZWP. Although there was a tension–compression asymmetry in the room temperature yield strength of Mg without ZWP, the difference reduced in the composites. The decreased asymmetry of yield behavior was suggested to be resulting from the tensile residual stress in the matrix produced during fabrication process because of the NTE of ZWP.

Susceptibility to chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (ESCC) of candidate canister materials, UNS S31260 and UNS S31254 stainless steels (SS), was investigated by a constant load test in air at temperatures of 343 and 353 K with relative humidity (RH) of 35%, and at 373 K without controlling RH. UNS S31260 and UNS S31254 SS did not fail until 37,700 h at 353 K with RH = 35%, where UNS S30403 SS failed within 250–500 h. The same tendency also was obtained at 343 K, suggesting the superior ESCC resistance of UNS S31260 and UNS S31254 SS. Even rust was not observed on the specimens tested at the temperature of 373 K. To explain the higher ESCC resistance, the pitting potential was measured in the saturated synthetic sea water at temperatures from 303 to 353 K, since ESCC is usually associated with localized corrosion such as pitting and may be closely related to the corrosion resistance. The pitting potentials of UNS S31260 and UNS S31254 SS were much higher than that of UNS S30403 SS. Thus, it was concluded that the superior ESCC resistance is attributable to the higher resistance of UNS S31260 and UNS S31254 SS to pitting corrosion. The critical relative humidity for ESCC, under which no ESCC occurs, is equal to or higher than 15% at temperatures

We propose a new magnetic force control device, composed of a giant magnetostrictive material (Terfenol-D) and a piezoelectric material (PZT), for coilless magnetic force control. The device uses the inverse magnetostrictive effect, whereby the variation of magnetization of a Terfenol-D rod controlled by PZT is converted to the variation of magnetic force by a magnetic circuit. Because PZT is electrically capacitive, the method has the advantage of low power consumption and low heat generation in static operation. We have fabricated several devices with different geometrical shapes of the rods and magnetic yokes, and we describe their characteristics such as power consumption, heat generation, and response. We discuss a magnetic circuit design strategy that uses the /spl Delta/E effect in magnetostrictive materials to increase the energy conversion efficiency.

Domain free discretization method was presented recently to solve irregular domain problems without introduction of coordinate transformation. As an effective solver for problems with complex domain, this method can be combined with other advanced numerical technologies, such as multi-grid, to make it more effective and find more applications. This paper is one of a series of papers to explore new variants of DFD. It presents the multi-grid version of DFD method, the MG-DFD method. The MG-DFD method was validated by its application to solve Poisson equation and simulation of the natural convection in a vertical eccentric annuli governed by stream function-vorticity formulation. Numerical examples show that MG can greatly accelerate the convergence speed.

The electronic structure, atomic geometry, and formation energy of native point defects of Si or Fe in β-FeSi2 were investigated using first principle pseudopotential calculations based on the generalized gradient approximation density function theory. The formation energies of the native point defects depend largely on the atomic chemical potentials of Fe and Si. Mulliken population analysis revealed that electron transfer occurs from Si to Fe by introducing defects of Si or Fe. The density of states calculation predicts that the crystal with Si vacancies indicates p-type and that with Fe vacancies indicates n-type, which is in good agreement with previously reported experimental results.

Using frequency-modulated echolocation sound, bat can capture a moving target in real three-dimensional (3-D) space. It is impossible to locate multiple targets in 3-D space by using only the delay time between an emission and the resultingechoes received at two points (i.e., two ears). To locate multiple targets in 3-D space requires directional information for each target. The spectrum of the echoes from nearly equidistant targets includes spectral components of both the interference between the echoes and the interference resulting from the physical process of reception at the external ear. The frequency of the spectral notch, which is the frequency corresponding to the minimum of the external ear's transfer function (EEDNF), provides a crucial cue for directional localization. In the model we present, a computational model todiscriminate multiple close targets in 3-D space utilizing echoes evoked by a single emission by distinguishing the interference of echoes from each object and the EEDNF corresponding to each target.

The choice of sensor and actuator material as well as optimum design to combine the actuator clement with the host structure become very essential to develop a smart materials and structures. In the present paper, first, the present slate and issues of the main solid actuators are described from the viewpoint of material science and engineering. Next, the developments of smart materials and systems using shape memory materials in Japan are introduced. Shape memory TiNi fiber reinforced/Al or polymer matrix composites have been fabricated to confirm the enhancements of fracture toughness (K-value) by utilizing the compression stresses caused by shape memory shrinkage of embedded TiNi fibers. Sudden failure prevention system for structures are also proposed by combining non-destructive acoustic emission detecting system with suppression of crack-tip stress intensity by shape memory shrinkage effect. Lastly, the research project scheme and several targets on smart actuator development are introduced, which are imposed on the Tohoku University team in the Japanese National Project (1998∼2002 A.D.) on Smart Materials and Structure System by NEDO/MITI.

Unstable vibrations of a cylindrical weir system due to the cooling flow has been observed in the fast breeder reactor Super-Phenix-1 in France in 1985, and a lot of studies have been conducted to clarify the mechanism of the unstable vibration, since by the occurrence of the unstable vibration on the free surface of a plenum, for example, the efficiency of heat exchanges of the system varies. This phenomena was found to be classified into two types: i.e., sloshing modes and hydroelastic mode. The unstable criteria were used for the design of new reactors. Here, traveling unstable sloshing modes have been observed in experiments on the fluid-structure coupled system in a thin cylindrical weir. The unstable vibration was found to be classified into three types: i.e., traveling wave which travels along one circumference direction; traveling wave which travels in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions alternately; and stationary wave. Influences of the outer and the inner annular gap widths, the height of weir, the elastic rigidity of weir, and baffle plate on the characteristics of the unstable sloshing vibration were clarified.

The present study was performed to examine the involvement of serotonin-3 (5-HT3) receptors in the rat nucleus accumbens (ACC) in alcohol dependence. In alcohol-treated rats, perfusion of 40 mM K+ and 100 mM ethanol (EtOH) through the microdialysis probe increased the extracellular levels of ACC dopamine (DA), compared with controls. Perfusion of the serotonin (5-HT) uptake inhibitor sertlarine enhanced the extracellular levels of ACC 5-HT in both groups. Increased 5-HT availability in the synaptic clefts on the ACC further activated ACC DA release in the alcohol-treated rats, in comparison with controls. In the final experiments, perfusion of the 5.0 microM 5-HT3 receptor agonist 2-methyl-5-HT (2-Me-5-HT) through the microdialysis probe enhanced the extracellular levels of ACC DA. Magnitude of 2-Me-5-HT-induced DA release was significantly higher in alcohol-treated rats than in controls. On the other hand, 40 mM K(+)- and 100 mM EtOH-induced extracellular 5-HT release in alcohol-treated rats were markedly inhibited. These results show that (1) chronic alcohol intake increases the sensitivity of 5-HT3 receptors, (2) 5-HT3 receptors regulate DA release in the ACC, (3) the dopaminergic neuronal systems associated with 5-HT3 ionophore in the ACC were upregulated after chronic alcohol exposure, and (4) chronic alcohol intake desensitizes the serotonergic neuronal systems in rat ACC. These findings suggest that neurochemical functions of 5-HT3 receptors in regulating DA release in the ACC after alcohol exposure compensate for the dysfunction of serotonergic activity to restore the original properties in processing alcohol tolerance and that the development of alcohol dependence may be mediated by ACC 5-HT3 receptors.

The local structures of W (001) c (2×2)- Ag and - Au [refer to as c (2×2)- Ag and - Au ] surfaces have been studied by x-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) for Ag-3d and Au-4f emissions with both multiple-scattering and single-scattering cluster approaches. Our dynamical study has revealed that the outermost layers of these surfaces form rumpled alloy structures, and the height of adsorbate atoms is 0.3±0.1 Å above that of W atoms in the top layer, and both adsorbate and tungsten atoms are at fourfold symmetric sites on the surfaces. It is also found in this study that there is a strong multiple-scattering effect on these surfaces, and a kinematical analysis fails completely on XPD from the c (2×2)- Ag surface at a high kinetic energy of 1115 eV, where the validity of the single-scattering theory was taken for granted in the past. Conditions that may result in such a strong multiple scattering in the systems are discussed in this paper.

The temperature and magnetic field dependencies of Ni-Mn-Ga polycrystals deformation are investigated. Ingots were prepared by arc-melting in argon atmosphere and further annealing. A training procedure (cycling across the martensitic transition point) for the two-way shape-memory effect was performed with Ni$_{2.16}$Fe$_{0.04}$Mn$_{0.80}$Ga samples. Changes in sample deformations were noticed with changing the magnetic field at a constant temperature. The first cycle deformation increment as compared with the initial value (in the austenitic state at zero field) in the course of the martensitic transition was 0.29%, and 0.41% and 0.48% for the second and third cycles, respectively., Comment: Presented at the Second Moscow International Symposium on Magnetism (Moscow-2002)

Active materials such as piezoelectric ceramics and shape memory metal alloys commonly actuate active control and intelligent material systems. Commercially available piezoelectric materials exhibit small actuation stroke and shape memory metal alloys have limited bandwidth. The proposed micro-actuator array design and fabrication process increases the actuation stroke of piezoceramic material by a factor of 1.5 for a 2 × 2 array; two active material segments connected in parallel and two in series, and doubles the response time of a 1 × 4 shape memory alloy driven array; four active materials segments connected in series. A high aspect ratio fabrication method incorporating SU-8 resin and conventional lithography is the process that forms the array linkages. The SU-8 resin array structures are 300 μm tall.

A speckle technique recently developed for transient phenomena analysis is applied to the study of dynamic properties of petroleum wells. It is shown that the samples (proceeding from the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela) actually give rise to random speckle patterns when illuminated with a laser beam. Transverse displacements of the sample’s surface can then be measured by classical speckle photography. When the root mean square of the phase and intensity variations in the scattered light are small with respect to the corresponding mean values, line of sight displacements of the surface can also be measured by means of a simple modification of the original technique.

A theoretical and experimental study is presented for the end- point control of a slender flexible arm driven by piezoelectric bimorph cells. A discrete-time formulation is presented for the arm-cell system and applied to the problem of moving the arm so that the tip closely tracks the fluctuation of target. The tip displacement (versus time) is compared with the target fluctuation, and the tip position error is used, together with other estimated system states, as the basis for applying control voltage to the cells. Both simulation and experimental results show that the PID control using the piezoelectric cells as the actuators is sufficient to make the arm tip follow the fluctuation of target precisely.

In space, the movement of the space robot is subjected to the law of angular momentum conservation as a nonholonomic constraint. Hence, different trajectories of a manipulator result in different final states in inertial space. To ensure safe and reliable operations of a space robot, it is necessary to plan the trajectory of the manipulator mounted on a space robot before the operations. In this paper, the trajectory planning method using a neural network for the manipulator of a space robot is proposed. The trajectory obtained by this method is compared with that obtained by analytical method for the approximate model in which the mass of the manipulator is neglected. The method is applied to the exact model in which the mass of the manipulator can not be neglected.

Summary form only given. A hybrid control method which is a combination of active control and disturbance cancellation method is proposed and used in the vibration control of a piezoelectric cylindrical shell. The active controller and disturbance cancellation controller are designed independently. The H/sup /spl infin// control and m-synthesis theory are used in the design of the active controller. The active control input calculated from the feedback signal and the disturbance cancellation input calculated from the disturbance signal are added together and the sum is used as the input of hybrid control. The electrodes on the surfaces of piezoelectric films are divided into several parts so that independent PVDF patches can be obtained. When the PVDF patches are applied with voltages, they will output distributed forces or moments so that they can be used as actuators. When the PVDF patches deform during vibration, they will output voltage so that they can be used as sensors. Two types of actuator models can be established for multimode piezoelectric actuators. When 180 out-of-phase voltages are applied to the inside and outside piezoelectric films in the same patch, the patch generates distributed bending moments and can he used as a bending moment actuator. When in-phase voltages are applied to the inside and outside piezoelectric films in the same patch, the patch generates distributed in-plane forces and can be used as an in-plane force actuator. In this study, two parts of the piezoelectric films were used as in-plane force actuators and one part as a sensor.

Polycrystalline ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{2.18}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{0.82}\mathrm{Ga}$ Heusler alloys with a coupled magnetostructural transition are studied by differential scanning calorimetry, magnetic and resistivity measurements. Coupling of the magnetic and structural subsystems results in unusual magnetic features of the alloy. These uncommon magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{2.18}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{0.82}\mathrm{Ga}$ are attributed to the first-order structural transition from a tetragonal ferromagnetic to a cubic paramagnetic phase.

Advances in endoscopic submucosal dissection include a submucosal tunneling technique, involving the introduction of tunnels into the submucosa. These tunnels permit safer offset entry into the peritoneal cavity for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. Technical advantages include the visual identification of the layers of the gut, blood vessels, and subepithelial tumors. The creation of a mucosal flap that minimizes air and fluid leakage into the extraluminal cavity can enhance the safety and efficacy of surgery. This submucosal tunneling technique was adapted for esophageal myotomy, culminating in its application to patients with achalasia. This method, known as per oral endoscopic myotomy, has opened up the new discipline of submucosal endoscopic surgery. Other clinical applications of the submucosal tunneling technique include its use in the removal of gastrointestinal subepithelial tumors and endomicroscopy for the diagnosis of functional and motility disorders. This review suggests that the submucosal tunneling technique, involving a mucosal safety flap, can have potential values for future endoscopic developments.

Interesting complex systems with magnetic shape-memory functions are considered, which appear as cooperation between ferromagnetic and structural transitions. Their phase transitions and critical behavior are derived and discussed in the mean field and the renormalization theories.

We recently reported that thyroid-stimulating blocking antibody (TSBAb) may not contribute to the development of hypothyroidism more than six years after 131I treatment. In the present study, we attempted to determine whether hypothyroidism that develops within a shorter period of time following 131I therapy is associated with TSBAb.Retrospective study.Sera were obtained from 8 patients who developed hypothyroidism within 6 months after 131I therapy (Group 1), 8 patients who became euthyroid one year after 131I therapy (Group 2), and 7 patients who developed transient hypothyroidism (Group 3).Thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) activity was measured as the amount of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) produced by cultured FRTL-5 cells, and TSBAb activity as the inhibition of cAMP produced in response to 100 mU/l bovine TSH.At about 3 months after 131I treatment, TSAb activity increased significantly in Groups 2 and 3, but did not change in Group 1. In contrast, TSBAb activity in Group 1 increased significantly and was positive in 6 patients at that time. At 12-18 months after 131I treatment, TSBAb activity tended to decrease and remained positive in 3 patients but became negative in 3 patients. It did not change in the patients in Groups 2 and 3. The patients in Group 1 were treated with levothyroxine, 75-125 micrograms/day. Levothyroxine was discontinued in the 3 patients whose TSBAb activity disappeared. Two of them remained euthyroid, and 1 became hypothyroid.Results indicate that the hypothyroidism that develops within a short time after 131I treatment may be caused by TSBAb activity. Thyroid function may be recovered when TSBAb activity disappears.

Publisher Summary Eddy current testing (ECT) is exclusively used for in-service inspection of steam generator tubes in pressurized water reactor-type nuclear power plants because of its attractive features, such as very high detectability, high scanning speeds, and no coupling medium with test specimens. Although, the cracks are characterized in magnitude and phase of their eddy current signals, they do not exactly tell us the details: how large cracks are, and what profiles they are. This problem is considered as an inverse problem. A method for the inversion was proposed, following the eddy current signal predictions, for which edge-based finite elements were used requiring much less computational memory in comparison to nodal finite elements. The trust region method, a kind of the quasi-Newton method, was used to find the optimal crack profiles, and the cracks were formed there by finite elements. It was found that while estimated results from laboratory data were in good agreement with the true profiles, this was fairly time-consuming; although, the cracks locally exist only in the test specimens, large algebraic equations derived from finite elements were repeatedly solved to obtain the sensitivity of the crack profiles to the signals because of its matrices, depending on the crack profiles.

6R-L-erythro-5, 6, 7, 8-tetrahydrobiopterin (6R-BH4) is a coenzyme for tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine hydroxylases, the former two of which are the initial and the rate-limiting enzymes in the biosynthesis of the catecholamines and serotonin, respectively. The present study was designed to determine the changes in concentrations of 6R-BH4 in striatum and midbrain of the inbred strains of mice, DBA/2J, C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6J, with different genetically determined alcohol preferences, following the injection of ethanol (EtOH). The intraperitoneal administration of EtOH (0, 1, 2 and 4 g/kg) significantly and dose-dependently reduced the levels of striatal and midbrain 6R-BH4 in DBA/2J mice with the lowest alcohol preference, and EtOH (4 g/kg, i.p.) reduced the level of striatal 6R-BH4 in C3H/HeJ with medium alcohol preference. Following the administration of EtOH (4 g/kg, i.p.), brain 6R-BH4 levels in C57BL/6J mice with high alcohol preference were lowered compared with the control group, but the difference did not reach statistic significance. EtOH has a tendency to reduce the brain 6R-BH4 levels in mice with lower alcohol preference or higher sensitivity to EtOH. Based on these findings, it was proposed that differences in alcohol drinking behavior in the inbred strains of mice was influenced by brain 6R-BH4.

This paper describes a method to reduce the discontinuity of thermal stress in a smart FGM for high temperature. The original smart FGM consists of two layers: one layer of FGM base material and one layer of piezoelectric material (PZT) used as an actuator to reduce the thermal bending deformation. Large stress discontinuity is induced on the interface of the two layers due to the discontinuity of material properties when high voltage is applied to piezoelectric layer. In this study, the stress discontinuity is reduced by introducing a graded piezoelectric layer between the FGM layer and PZT layer. Furthermore, an additional layer is introduced on the low temperature side to measure the bending deformation of the composite FGM so that the deformation induced by time-varying temperature can be actively cancelled by using feedback control.

The present study was performed to examine the involvement of serotonin-3 (5-HT3) receptors in the rat nucleus accumbens (ACC) in alcohol dependence. In alcohol-treated rats, perfusion of 40 mM K+ and 100 mM ethanol (EtOH) through the microdialysis probe increased the extracellular levels of ACC dopamine (DA), compared with controls. Perfusion of the serotonin (5-HT) uptake inhibitor sertlarine enhanced the extracellular levels of ACC 5-HT in both groups. Increased 5-HT availability in the synaptic clefts on the ACC further activated ACC DA release in the alcohol-treated rats, in comparison with controls. In the final experiments, perfusion of the 5.0 microM 5-HT3 receptor agonist 2-methyl-5-HT (2-Me-5-HT) through the microdialysis probe enhanced the extracellular levels of ACC DA. Magnitude of 2-Me-5-HT-induced DA release was significantly higher in alcohol-treated rats than in controls. On the other hand, 40 mM K(+)- and 100 mM EtOH-induced extracellular 5-HT release in alcohol-treated rats were markedly inhibited. These results show that (1) chronic alcohol intake increases the sensitivity of 5-HT3 receptors, (2) 5-HT3 receptors regulate DA release in the ACC, (3) the dopaminergic neuronal systems associated with 5-HT3 ionophore in the ACC were upregulated after chronic alcohol exposure, and (4) chronic alcohol intake desensitizes the serotonergic neuronal systems in rat ACC. These findings suggest that neurochemical functions of 5-HT3 receptors in regulating DA release in the ACC after alcohol exposure compensate for the dysfunction of serotonergic activity to restore the original properties in processing alcohol tolerance and that the development of alcohol dependence may be mediated by ACC 5-HT3 receptors.

The chaotic vibration and its control of a cantilever beam are described in this paper. The beam with a permanent magnet on its free tip was placed vertically and another permanent magnet was fixed under the free tip of the beam. The beam was buckled due to the magnetic force of the two magnets. The chaotic motion was observed when the clamped end of the beam was excited harmonically in the horizontal direction. It was proved that the system expressed by Duffing's equation could be converted to an equivalent linear system with input-output linearization method. The results of experiment demonstrated that the chaotic response of the beam can be controlled.

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) sensitivities of high purity Fe-Cr alloys were investigated in simulated Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and primary Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) cooling waters, by constant extension rate tests (CERT) at a strain rate of 4x10 -7 s -1 . No high purity Fe-Cr alloy showed any SCC sensitivity in either simulated BWR and PWR primary water environment.

The paper includes the nonlinear phenomena investigation of a system with two parallel wires carrying currents, of a multi-well-potential magnetic system and of a system with magnetic levitation. Some special bifurcation diagrams exhibiting a variety of nonlinear phenomena as well as numerical evidence of chaos are given.

The Li4Ti5O12 and the LiCoO2 have been considered as promising candidates of electrode materials for all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries. The spray pyrolysis method is a useful economical technique to prepare various thicknesses of oxide films though have not been intensively studied for fabrication of thin film lithium batteries. Thin films of Li4Ti5O12 and LiCoO2 electrode materials about 100-400 nm were prepared on quartz and gold substrates by the spray pyrolysis method by using Liacac and, TiO(acac)4 or Co(acac)3 with DMF solvent as starting materials. Electric properties as electrode materials for lithium batteries were estimated by using 3 probe liquid cells with liquid electrolyte LiPF6 in EC-DMC and Li metal as reference and counter electrodes. Structure and morphology of the films were investigated by XRD and SEM. Crystalline Li4Ti5O12 and LiCoO2 thin films were found to be prepared over 700 °C of substrate temperature. Cyclic voltammograms of the Li4Ti5O12 electrode thin films showed sharp oxidation and reduction peaks around 1.6 and 1.5 V, respectively. Charge-discharge curves for both Li4Ti5O12 and LiCoO2 electrode thin films showed discharge plateaus around 1.4 and 3.8 V with about 80 mAhg−1 of capacity. These results showed that these electrode thin films prepared by the spray pyrolysis method are electrochemically active and spray pyrolysis method is a promising technique to prepare thin film electrode materials.

The polycrystalline plate-like ZnO samples were irradiated by a continuous wave Yb fiber laser and electrical properties of modified layer were investigated. The laser beam of spot size of 16 ?m in diameter was scanned on the surface at a velocity of 5mm/s. There was a threshold for the laser modification. The laser etched grooves were formed above laser power of 20 W. The laser etched depth increased in relation to the laser power, 0.46 mm at 20 W and 5.0 mm at 126 W. The surface layers of laser etched grooves were modified in color and electrical property. The color changed from light yellow to black, and the electrical resistivity drastically decreased from initial value of 1.1?105 ?cm to 3.2?10?1 ?cm at 56 W, 2.8?10?1 ?cm at 91 W, and 2.0?10?1 ?cm at 126 W. The Hall measurement showed that the modified surface layer was an n-type semiconductor and carrier concentration of the layer was 1.5?1017 cm?3 at 56 W, 7.2?1017 cm?3 at 91 W, and 1.9?1018 cm?3 at 126 W.

1) We studied bony maturation and fragility in 48 male patients (4-28 years old) with cerebral palsy. They were divided into three groups; group A (drug free, mild motor handicapped), 10 cases, group B (anticonvulsants administrated, mild motor handicapped), 20 cases, group C (anticonvulsants administrated, severe motor handicapped) 18 cases. The indicator of bone mineral content (sigma GS/D) and metacarpal index (MCI) were analyzed by microdensitometric method. A positive correlation between age and sigma GS/D was detected in all groups but a positive correlation between age and MCI was found only in the group B. There was little difference in sigma GS/D and MIC between group A and group B, but those of group C were significantly decreased. These results suggest that increase of bone mineral is related with aging but metacarpal growth is variable, and a lack of daily activity has greater adverse effect on bony metabolism than administration of anticonvulsants. 2) The alterative rates of sigma GS/D (delta sigma GS/D/sigma GS/D/year) and MCI (delta MCI/MCI/year) after 1 alpha-hydroxy vitamin D3 (D3) treatment for 3 years or more were examined in 17 patients with bony atrophy, as compared with normal controls. The alterative rates of sigma GS/D and MCI were elevated in younger patients with D3 treatment but those were decreased in adult patients. Treatment with D3 remarkably increased bony growth in children. 3) In 37 patients, osteocalcin (OC) was measured by radioimmunoassay. OC was elevated in younger patients who were treated with D3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)