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A nanoclay-based radio-fluorogenic gel (NC-RFG) was used to verify the source position and dose distribution in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The dose response confirmed linearity up to 60 Gy. The source position could be detected with an accuracy of ≤0.3 mm, and the dose distribution near the Ir-192 source showed good agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation. NC-RFG can be expected to be a quality assurance tool suitable for the evaluating the dose distribution in HDR brachytherapy.

The trapped magnetic field properties in superconducting MgB2 bulk magnets with various kinds of shape such as a disk, a ring and a pair of disks were calculated by the finite element method (FEM). For simplicity, field cool magnetization was replaced by a simple magnetization process at constant temperature to obtain equivalent distribution of magnetic field, and the thermal equation in FEM was omitted. It was confirmed that the result of FEM agreed well with the result by analytical method in infinite long cylinder. We compared the trapped magnetic field property between FEM result and experimental result in reference in order to research the simple evaluation method of the trapped magnetic field of MgB2 bulk magnet. It was found that the result of FEM agreed with the experimental result and it can explain the distribution of trapped magnetic field of superconducting MgB2 bulk magnet. From these results, it was found that it was possible to be calculated in various kinds of shape with using simple evaluation by FEM. Therefore, the optimization of the maximum trapped magnetic field in superconducting MgB2 bulk magnet can be discussed., Proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on Superconductivity (ISS 2014) November 25-27, 2014, Tokyo, Japan

For highly precise positioning of land vehicles, in this paper, we present an integration method of the low cost MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) INS (Inertial Navigation System), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) and vehicle speed information. In this paper, we develop the MEMS INS/GNSS/Vehicle Speed (VS) integration system by extending and refining our previous work [1]. The VS is the vehicle speed obtained by counting the wheel rotation of the land vehicle. In the system, so-called the loosely coupled mechanization is applied. Thus the three dimensional position, velocity, attitude of the vehicle and the three dimensional accelerometer and gyro biases are estimated by the Kalman filter by using the measurement of GNSS and VS. And the estimated (predicted) INS errors are fed back to the INS calculations. Additionally, in the proposed method, the scale factor error of VS is estimated by the Kalman filter simultaneously. Moreover, since the direction of the tire, i.e. the direction of VS is not always parallel to the direction of the body by a small angle due to a shake of the body and misalignment of the INS, the difference between them is also simultaneously calibrated in the system. The experiments have been carried out on country roads. Throughout the experiments, the proposed method can effectively estimate the IMU errors and consequently provide accurate navigation.

The present study has characterized the germ cell component of canine testicular mixed germ cell-sex cord stromal tumours (MGSCTs) by examining the histological nature and histochemical and immunohistochemical features using gonocytic and spermatogonial cellular markers, c-Kit, placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4), and the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction. Histologically, all 45 examples of MGSCTs were classified as spermatocytic seminomas (SSs) and Sertoli cell tumours in combination. The germ cell component of all MGSCTs was negative by PAS staining. Immunohistochemically, PLAP immunoreactivity was lacking in the germ cell component of all MGSCTs, which is not consistent with a gonocytic origin. The germ cell component was positive for PGP9.5 and SALL4 in all MGSCTs and positive for c-Kit in 53% of MGSCTs, which is consistent with the phenotype of spermatogonia. Furthermore, the germ cell component in 71% of MGSCTs had moderate immunoreactivity for SALL4, which is suggestive of a spermatogonial phenotype. Conversely, 29% of cases had a minor population of germ cells showing strong SALL4 immunoreactivity, suggesting a phenotype similar to prespermatogonia. The results suggest that the germ cell component of canine MGSCTs is morphologically classified as SS, with the majority of cases showing the spermatogonial phenotype and some cases containing a small population of prespermatogonia.

An abrupt transition of the interfacial exchange coupling from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic was observed in the interface of perpendicularly magnetized L10-MnGa/Fe1-xCox epitaxial bilayers when x was around 25%. By considering the special band structure of the MnGa alloy, we present a model explaining this transition by the spin-polarization reversal of Fe1-xCox alloys due to the rise of the Fermi level as the Co content increases. The effect of interfacial exchange coupling on the coercive force (Hc) and the spin-dependent tunneling effect in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs) based on the coupled composite were also studied. Changes from the normal spin valve to inverted magnetoresistance loops corresponding to the coupling transition were observed in pMTJs with MnGa/Fe1-xCox as an electrode.

A novel 4-operand redundant binary adder by using neuron MOS is described. Proposed adder can achieve totally parallel multi-operand addition, because four input operands can be added simultaneously without the carry propagation chain by our novel addition algorithm. The principle of this algorithm is to utilize the partial addition in every two digits block. The neuron MOSFETs are applied to the implementation of this system, accordingly the ternary operations for the redundant binary number and the multi-input operations can be simply realized. The features of the proposed adder are capability of high speed operation and less number of transistors as compared with the conventional binary one. Simulations have been made by HSPICE.

Diverse biological activities of moxa extracts and smoke (gas phase) were investigated. Moxa was extracted with hot water (Fr. I), or ethanol (Fr. II), or extracted with hot water after ethanol wash (Fr. III) and then lyophilized to obtain the dried powders. Moxa smoke (containing a lot of gaseous components obtained by burning Moxa) (Fr. IV) was collected into phosphate-buffered saline and quantified spectrophotometrically. These extracts and Moxa smoke showed comparable cytotoxic activity against human oral tumor cell lines (HSC-2, HSG). Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were more resistant to any Moxa fractions. Neither of the extracts showed anti-HIV activity. Pretreatment of mice with Fr. I significantly reduced the lethal effect of E. coli infection. All extracts produced radicals under alkaline condition, with a maximum intensity at pH 10.5, and enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate. It was unexpected that these extracts show significant O2- scavenging activities. These data suggest the medicinal efficacy of Moxa extracts and smoke.

The relationship between neuronal activity, intracellular oxygenation and energy metabolism in the cerebrum and the brainstem-cerebellum of the rat brain in graded hypoxia was studied. Intracellular oxygenation was monitored by near-infrared measurement of the redox state of cytochrome oxidase (cyt.ox.). Neuronal activity was assessed by EEG (electroencephalography) and the evoked potentials (VEP; visual, BSR; brainstem, C-SEP; cortical-sensory, S-SEP; spinal-sensory evoked potentials). As hypoxia progressed, neuronal activities disappeared in the order of VEP, C-SEP, EEG, BSR, S-SEP. However, intracellular oxygenation at the disappearance of each neuronal activity was significantly lower in the brainstem-cerebellum than in the cerebrum. ATP (adenosine triphasphate), glucose, and lactate were measured in the cerebral cortex, subcortex, brainstem, and cerebellum 1-2 minutes after the disappearance of neuronal activities on EEG. Hypoxia caused decreases in ATP in each brain region. Marked increases in lactate were observed in each brain region, though the degree of increment was less in the cerebral cortex than the other brain regions. A decrease in glucose was observed only in the cerebral cortex. These results suggest that by the use of the energy generated via glycolysis, the brainstem functions even after oxygen supply has been significantly reduced, while the neuronal activity in the cerebrum is suppressed at the higher oxygenation level than that in the brainstem-cerebellum. It is, thus, supposed that these differential responses of brainstem and cortical neurons to oxygen deprivation are inherent, and critical for neuronal survival in severe hypoxia.

Plasma concentrations and hemodynamic effects of olprinone were evaluated in seventeen patients undergoing open heart surgery. The patients were randomized into the bolus group (15 micrograms.kg-1 bolus dose +0.1 microgram.kg-1.min-1 infusion, n = 9) and the non-bolus group (0.1 microgram.kg-1.min-1 infusion, n = 8). Plasma concentrations and hemodynamic variables were measured before CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass; baseline), 5, 60 min after weaning from CPB, and 3, 6 hours after the end of surgery. Plasma concentrations in the non-bolus group were significantly lower than those of bolus group at any point except for 3 hours after the end of surgery. In the bolus group, increases in the cardiac index and stroke volume index were significantly higher compared with the non-bolus group. From these results we conclude that olprinone given in bolus (15 micrograms.kg-1) followed by continuous infusion (0.1 microgram.kg-1.min-1) is efficacious and safe during weaning from CPB.

We encountered a complete ectometopic suture in a 91-year-old Japanese male cadaver during a gross anatomy course. It was observed in one of 26 skulls aged from 62 to 92 years and was about 13 cm in length from the bregma to the nasion. It is rare to encounter the metopic suture in a person of advanced age, as in the present case.

We encountered two cases of duplication of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in the Japanese cadavers of a 91-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman. Both of the anomalies were classified as Type BC and as Type I according to the systems of Chuang et al. (1974) and of Sarma (1966), respectively. In one case the right IVC was twice the diameter of the left IVC, and in the other it was five times as large. We discuss the clinical importance and the development of duplication of the IVC.

In order to help to organize the understanding of the bewildering complexities of the innervation of the mammalian heart by the vagus nerve and to clear up of confusions as regards the vagus cardiac branches, we scrutinized these branches in the adult house shrew, Suncus murinus, under a stereomicroscope. A number of branches were given off from the vagus nerve not only to the heart, but also to the adjoining great vessels, both outflowing and inflowing. When compared from the developmental viewpoint, the basic conformations of these branches on two sides were found not to differ from each other, but rather presented a symmetrical configuration, the feature which has been ascertained also in mammalian embryos. Relying on developmental criteria, we classified them into the arterial porta-related and the venous porta-related groups, formulating a new terminology by naming them on the basis of their destination. This version of terminology allowed us to define the vagus cardiac branches of the house shrew more accurately than the current terminology (e.g., Nomina Anatomica), and seems to provide us a clue for clearing up confusions concerning the terminology of the vagus cardiac branches in mammals.

In one out of 8 examined cadavers a solid, right superior bronchial artery was found to arise from the subclavian artery with its origin at the same level as those of the right vertebral and internal thoracic arteries. This bronchial artery was 1.5 mm in caliber and closely associated with the right sinal nerve arising from the vagus nerve and with the right stellate cardiopulmonary nerves arising from the right stellate ganglion. Such a close association was also observed between other sympathetic cardiac nerves and bronchial arteries and an extracoronary artery. On the basis of these observations it was deduced that the general course of the bronchial arteries serves to pave the way for the extension of the sympathetic cardiac nerves to the heart.

This is the first report providing detailed description on an aberrant branch (AB) which, arising from the superior laryngeal nerve (LN), passes through the thyroid foramen and is distributed to the mucous membrane of the larynx. The foramen was observed in 7 out of 14 Japanese cadavers examined in this study, 3 on the right, 3 on the left and one on both sides. In these 7 sides, the AB was given off from the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (LN) during its descent on the inferior constrictor muscle of the pharynx. In one side, however, it arose from both the external and internal branches of the superior LN. In each case, the AB, after passing through this foramen, reached the lateral aspect of the arytenoid cartilage, dividing into a superior and an inferior division. The superior one was communicated with a branch of the internal branch of the superior LN, while the inferior one was communicated with that of the inferior LN of the recurrent LN. The joined branches were distributed to the mucous membrane covering the ventricle of the larynx and the vocal fold. On the basis of the height of its distribution, it can be mentioned that the AB is situated intermediate in position between the internal branch of the superior and inferior LNs.

A infusão de células hematopoéticas totipotentes criopreservadas permite a recuperação da hematopoese após quimioterapia mieloablativa. OBJETIVO. A formação de cristais de gelo durante o processo de congelamento é o fator principal que causa ruptura das estruturas celulares. A criopreservação dessas células a uma taxa constante preveniria os danos causados pelo congelamento brusco. MÉTODOS. Vinte e três pacientes com mediana de 25 anos (variação 3-57) tiveram a medula óssea e/ou células-tronco periféricas (CTP) coletadas no período de março de 1993 a outubro de 1994, totalizando 86 congelamentos. Os pacientes apresentavam as seguintes neoplasias: linfoma não-Hodgkin (n=5), leucemia mielóide aguda (n=8), leucemia linfóide aguda (n=6), doença de Hodgkin (n=3) e mieloma múltiplo (n=1). O congelamento foi controlado por um computador, acoplado ao sistema, às seguintes temperaturas: -1°C/min até -45°C e depois a -10°C/min até -80°C. Após o congelamento, as células foram mantidas em freezer a -110°C até o momento da infusão. Para obtenção das CTP, empregou-se o fator de crescimento estimulante de granulócitos (G-CSF). RESULTADOS. Uma mediana de 3,16 x 10(8) céls./kg (variação 0,86-24,22) de CTP e 2,03 x 10(8) céls./kg (variação 0,19-12,21) de medula óssea foi congelada. A mediana para atingir granulócitos maior ou igual a 500/µL e plaquetas maior que 20.000/µL foi de 12 dias (variação 8-40) e 31 dias (variação 8-80), respectivamente. Todos os pacientes tiveram recuperação hematopoética após a infusão das células criopreservadas. CONCLUSÃO. A criopreservação em congelador programável permite o armazenamento de células hematopoéticas e, potencialmente, pode causar menor dano celular. The cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells can be used for rescuing the hematopoiesis after high dose chemotherapy. PURPOSE. The ice cristal formation during the freezing procedure is the key point that can be harmful to the cells. The cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells in a controlled-rate freezer could decrease the cell damage. METHODS. Twenty-three patients with a median age of 26 years (range 03-57) had bone marrow and/or peripheral blood stem cells harvested from March 1993 through October 1994, ending up to 86 freezing procedures. The patient's diagnoses are as follows: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (n=5); Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (n=8); Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (n=6); Hodgkin's disease (n=3); Multiple Myeloma (n=1). The cells were frozen away in a controlled-rate freezer chamber at the folowing rate: -1°C/min from room temperature to -45°C and then, at -10°C/min down to -80°C. After freezing, the cells were kept into mechanical freezers until the marrow infusion. To mobilize PBSC (peripheral blood stem cells), G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) was given. RESULTS. A median of 3.16x10(8) cells/kg (range 0.86-24.22) of PBSC and 2.03x10(8) cells/kg (0.19-12.21) of bone marrow cells were frozen. The median time to reach granulocytes greater than 500/µL and platelets greater than 20,000/µL was 12 days (range 8-40) and 31 days (range 8-80), respectively. All patients had marrow engraftment after infusion of hematopoietic stem cells. CONCLUSION. The cryopreservation procedure using a controlled-rate freezer can store hematopoietic stem cells and potentially, cause less damage to the cells.

We encountered three anomalies in which the musculocutaneous nerve did not penetrate the coracobrachialis during a gross anatomy course in 1996. Two of the anomalies were present in the bilateral arms of the cadaver of an 89-year-old woman, and the other in the right arm of the cadaver of a 64-year-old man. In all of the anomlies the musculocutaneous nerve, the lateral cord of the brachial plexus, and the median nerve were contained in a common sheath of connective tissue. Thus, muscular branches to the flexor muscles of the upper arm and the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve seemed to arise from the cord and the median nerve. After the common sheath was removed, the musculocutaneous and median nerves were completely separated, or the fusion between the musculocutaneous and median nerves only remained partially. These variations are apparently not rare, and it is possible that the combined paralysis of the musculocutaneous and median nerves would occur. The present variation may be important to clinicians.

We encountered a rare anomaly in the cadaver of a Japanese woman in the medical cord of the brachial plexus including the ulnar nerve and the medical root of the median nerve was sandwiched with the axillary and the superficial brachial arteries. The axillary artery passed inferior and dorsal to the medial cord, branching off the subscapular, anterior circumflex humeral arteries, and the common trunk of the posterior circumflex humeral and profunda brachii arteries, and ended as the inferior ulnar collateral artery. The superficial brachial artery descended ventral to the median nerve and divided into the radial and ulnar arteries in the cubital fossa. We discuss the developmental formation of this anomaly.

The cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells can be used for rescuing the hematopoiesis after high dose chemotherapy.The ice crystal formation during the freezing procedure is the key point that can be harmful to the cells. The cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells in a controlled-rate freezer could decrease the cell damage.Twenty-three patients with a median age of 26 years (range 03-57) had bone marrow and/or peripheral blood stem cells harvested from March 1993 through October 1994, ending up to 86 freezing procedures. The patient's diagnoses are as follows: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (n = 5); Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (n = 8); Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (n = 6); Hodgkin's disease (n = 3); Multiple Myeloma (n = 1). The cells were frozen away in a controlled-rate freezer chamber at the following rate: -1 degree C/min from room temperature to -45 degrees C and then, at -10 degrees C/min down to -80 degrees C. After freezing, the cells were kept into mechanical freezers until the marrow infusion. To mobilize PBSC (peripheral blood stem cells), G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) was given.A median of 3.16 x 10(8) cells/kg (range 0.86-24.22) of PBSC and 2.03 x 10(8) cells/kg (0.19-12.21) of bone marrow cells were frozen. The median time to reach granulocytes greater than 500/microL and platelets greater than 20,000/microL was 12 days (range 8-40) and 31 days (range 8-80), respectively. All patients had marrow engraftment after infusion of hematopoietic stem cells.The cryopreservation procedure using a controlled-rate freezer can store hematopoietic stem cells and potentially, cause less damage to the cells.

We report a variant branch of the internal laryngeal nerve found in a Japanese male body. This branch, arising in the piriform fossa from the inferior portion of the loose network formed by the intercommunicating subbranches of the internal laryngeal nerve, descended in the interval between the thyroid and arytenoid cartilages accompanied by a branch of the superior laryngeal artery as far downward as the lowest portion of the thyroid cartilage. Here it crossed lateral to the inferior laryngeal nerve to which it gave off a communicating branch and reached the deep surface of the cricothyroid muscle. In this muscle it split into several divisions, each of which issued filaments to this muscle. The terminal branch of this variant branch ended in the fascia covering the cricothyroid muscle and the cricoid cartilage.

In an anatomy class, dissection of a cadaver led to the discovery of a hitherto not reported extracoronary artery found to take part in supplying blood to the heart of a Japanese male. This artery arose from the concavity of the aortic arch and coursed as far downward as the level of the bifurcation of the pulmonary trunk, dividing here into the arterial porta- and venous porta-related arteries; the latter obviously supplied the atrial portion of the heart. It is believed that this artery is a variant of the bronchial artery.

We describe rare anomalies of the bilateral superficial brachial arteries in a dissected 69-year-old Japanese man in the gross anatomical course. The right and left superficial brachial arteries were observed to originate from the axillary artery, pass over the lateral root of the median nerve, course laterally and superficially to the median nerve, and split into the radial and ulnar arteries in the cubital fossa. The right brachial artery ended in the posterior aspect of the elbow. The left brachial artery ended in the anastomosis with the ulnar artery at the site opposite to the origin of the common interosseous artery. These arterial patterns can be explained by the existence, during the developmental process of the arteries of the arm, of a superficial brachial artery and an anastomotic branch between the superficial brachial and brachial arteries.

Myotonic dystrophy involves not only voluntary muscles of extremities, pharyngeal muscle and respiratory muscle but also smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract. This muscle involvement can cause difficulty in excreting sputa, delayed emptying time of stomach and regurgitation of gastric content, all of which can lead to disastrous complications of anesthetic management. Pregnancy is rare because of ovarian atrophy. We report two cases of cesarean section for patients with myotonic dystrophy. In one case, the newborn baby had dyspnea due to congenital myotonic dystrophy, and in another case, patient experienced postoperative pneumonia. Our cases and other reports suggest that spinal or epidural anesthesia is safely applied for a cesarean section of a patient with myotonic dystrophy.

The principal aim of this study was to elucidate key features of the inferior phrenic vein (IPV) of adult rats to determine whether the IPV has the potential to function as a collateral return route conveying blood from the lower portion of the body to the heart, bypassing the subhepatic vein segment of the inferior caval vein. In rats, the IPVs on both sides were found to reveal a symmetric appearance. They were both composite vessels, being made up of two fellow subvessels, the sternocostal and the lumbocostal veins, which in turn anastomosed in tandem in their periphery with each other, formed a collateral route bridging the interval between the suprarenal and the hepatic vein segments of the inferior caval vein. In rat embryos of E17.5, the sternocostal and lumbocostal veins of the IPV were observed to have been well developed, forming tandem anastomoses more clearly than in adults, thus connecting the subcardinal vein to the hepatic vein segment of the inferior caval vein. This fact substantiates our supposition that the rat's IPV originally has the potential to act as a collateral returning route which allows blood to bypass the subhepatic vein segment of the inferior caval vein.

A rare and hitherto not reported case in which a branch of the vagal nerve communicated simultaneously with the facial and the glossopharyngeal nerves was encountered in the body of a Japanese male cadaver in an anatomy class. This vagofacial-vagoglossopharyngeal (X. VII-X.IX) communicating branch was found to issue from the vagal nerve truck in close association with the pharyngeal branches (rami pharyngei nervi vagi) bifurcating soon into a vagofacial (X. VII) and a vagoglossopharyngeal division (X. IX). The X. VII division coursed forward and reached the posterior belly of the digastric muscle; after entering this muscle, this division broke up into filaments to communicate with the ramus digastricus of the facial nerve which was found to play an equivalent role in making the vagofacial ansa. The X.IX division, in contrast, took its course medially to reach the stylopharyngeal muscle. After entering this muscle, the X.IX division communicated with the stylopharyngeal branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve, which was found to be the equivalent to the X.IX division; these two form together the vagoglossopharyngeal ansa. Therefore, it could be concluded that the X. VII-X.IX communicating branch constitutes the vagal moieties of the vagof acial as well as the vagoglossopharyngeal ansae. The background of the appearance of the communicating branches observed in this report is discussed in the text from the developmental viewpoint on the basis of the findings obtained in chick embryos stained in whole mounts with anti-neurofilament protein antibody.

The relative position of the sapheno-femoral junction (SFJ) with respect to the origin of the arterial trunk from which the deep femoral artery arises was examined. Among 47 SFJ's, 9 (19%) were located at a proximal level to the arterial trunk, another 9 (19%) were located at an equal level to the trunk, and the remaining 29 (62%) were located at a distal level to the trunk. "In situ" saphenous vein graft for occlusion of the femoral artery is best indicated when the SFJ is located proximal to the arterial trunk. Our results suggested that such cases are encountered in as few as 19% of patients.

Superconducting Ba2YCu3Ox films were prepared on (100)MgO substrate by laser ablation with a laser irradiation on the growing film surface to reduce the deposition temperature. In order to clarify the mechanism of the laser irradiation effect, a transient response of temperature distribution of the films was also calculated with various pulse duration, wavelengths and fluences of the pulsed laser. Comparison between the observed and calculated results suggest that the effective temperature increase in the film surface determined experimentally is smaller than expected from the calculation possibly because of the very short duration of temperature rise.

Wistar female rats were injected with testosterone (T) or 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT) for the first 5 days of life. Neonatal treatment with 1 mg of T resulted in anovulatory persistent oestrous syndrome in 100% of the animals. In the females injected with 1 mg of 5β-DHT, 74% of the treated rats became sterile at 120 days of age. In addition, 0.5 mg 5β-DHT was also effective in inducing anovulatory persistent oestrus; the incidence of sterility was 10 and 80% at 60 and 120 days of age, respectively. When daily dose of 5β-DHT was reduced to 0.1 mg, however, only 33% of the rats resulted in sterility. These results suggest that the free form of T and non-aromatizable androgen, 5β-DHT, can permanently suppress the development of female type of neuroendocrine regulation. The possible participation of the process other than the central aromatization in androgenization will be discussed.

Gradually increasing pressure drop, which ultimately leads to a rapid increase, is a problem encountered in moving granular bed filters when gas velocity is elevated during dust collection from the top gas of a blast furnace. The relationship between dust collection and pressure drop was mathematically simulated, and then a half-size test model moving granular bed filter was used to examine the conditions under which the medium can flow. The increase in gas pressure drop proceeds as a circular chain of interrelated events. When gas velocity is increased and the gas pressure gradient exceeds a certain critical value, the medium flow stalls along the gas discharge side of the bed. Dust accumulates in the stalled medium, raising the pressure gradient even further. The growth in pressure drop is thus accelerated, finally resulting in a rapid and undesirable increase that prevents further operation.

In 2-day-old female rats, vertical cuts were placed in the brain by means of a knife made of 3 mm-wide razor blade at a level between the rostral end of the anterior commissure and the caudal end of the arcuate nucleus. When killed at 60 or 90 days of age, 45 of 47 thus operated rats had corpora lutea in their ovaries, indicating that the ovulatory discharge of gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary had occurred. The remaining 2 rats had polyfollicular ovaries indicative of ovulatory failure. In another series of experiments, the anterior afferents of the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) were interrupted in 28-day-old female rats by means of the so-called Halasz knife at the level of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. By 60 days of age, the rats invariably came into persistent estrus with polyfollicular ovaries, showing that the ovulatory discharge of gonadotropins had been inhibited. In the rats operated on neonatally, wounds due to the cuts healed up almost completely, although some reduction in number of neurons was observed along the cuts. By contrast, in the animals operated on at 28 days of age, wounds were filled with connective tissue. Accordingly, it seems likely that the development of the anterior neural afferents to the MBH, which are involved in the cyclic discharge of pituitary gonadotropins, has not yet been completed by the 2nd postnatal day so that the transections carried out at this age exert little influence on the future occurrence of ovarian cycles.

The hydrostatic pressure effects on CdxHg1−xTe alloys have been investigated. In the relatively low pressure region, we find an anomaly in each Hall coefficient vs. pressure curve for the alloys (x 0.09) show changes of three stages with increase of pressure. The crystal structures corresponding to the three stages are studied by an X-ray diffraction analysis. It is found that the crystal structure of the alloys exhibits transitions from the zinc-blende to the rock salt type and at last to the hexagonal cinnabar type.

Nuclear volume of the medial and lateral nuclei of the amygdala was investigated in male and female rats. The volume of the medial nucleus in the adult male rat was significantly greater than that of the female rat. Treatment of female rats with estrogen for the first 30 days of postnatal life increased the nuclear size, and the volume became comparable to that of the males. Although there was no significant difference in volume of this nucleus between male and female rats from days 1 (day of birth) to 11, the difference became evident at day 21, and thereafter it persisted. In contrast, the nuclear volume of the lateral nucleus was not different between the two sexes. Estrogen treatment did not influence the volume of the lateral nucleus in the female animals. These data indicate that the nuclear volume is sexually different in the medial nucleus of the amygdala, and its differentiation occurs during the early postnatal period under the influence of the organizational action of sex steroids.

The reliability of hydrogenated amorphous silicon multijunction solar cells was investigated. The n/p interface is thought to play an important role in light‐induced effect of multijunction solar cells. Blocking barriers which promote carrier recombination at n/p interface were applied here. As compared with ordinary solar cell, this solar cell shows an excellent stability for light exposure. The stability for thermal treatment is also discussed.

Up to 5% of young adults diagnosed with diabetes have a monogenic aetiology, the most common of which is maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). A definitive molecular diagnosis is important, as this affects treatment, prognosis and family screening. Currently, however, rates of diagnosis are low due to a combination of lack of awareness of the benefits of making the diagnosis and the challenges of differentiating patients with MODY from those with common forms of diabetes. This article aims to introduce general physicians to the characteristics of monogenic diabetes and the clinical features that can be used to diagnose patients. Recently, genomewide association studies have resulted in the identification of C-reactive protein and glycan profile as specific biomarkers for the most common MODY subtype due to HNF1A mutations, and the potential translation of these findings are discussed. © Royal College of Physicians, 2013.