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Diabetes & Metabolism - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since mardi 1 aout 2017

The standard method for assessing the specific absorption rate of a mobile device involves scanning an electric field probe in a tissue equivalent liquid. The electric field probe is also calibrated in the liquid. Uncertainty of permittivity measurement of the liquid accounts for a large proportion of uncertainty of the specific absorption rate measurement and related probe calibration. The permittivity measurement of the liquid generally employs a coaxial probe method, but its uncertainty tends to be somewhat large because of its reflection measurement. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the complex permittivity of the liquid from the attenuation and phase constants of the liquid surrounded by the waveguide well and moving the small dipole antenna in it, and show an example of actual measurement.

This study evaluates the formation of radical species in natural rubber (NR) and poly-isoprene rubber (IR) during the vulcanization process and the uniaxial deformation of the formed networks by means of Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). Vulcanization of NR and IR always shows a radical pathway, where the different vulcanization systems dictate the concentration of radical species in the course of this complex process. The greatest concentration of radicals were detected during the vulcanization with sulfur/accelerator based on efficient systems (EV), followed by conventional (CV) and sulfur donor systems, whereas azide and organic peroxide agents showed smaller concentration of radicals. Independently of the vulcanization system, certain amount of radicals was detected on the vulcanized samples after the end of the vulcanization process. Comparison between different matrices demonstrates that NR always shows higher concentration of radicals than IR in the vulcanization process as well as during uniaxial deformation, fact that could be associated to the presence of non- rubber components in NR.

Introduction Lateral cephalometric radiography is a simple way to provide craniofacial soft/hard tissue profiles specific for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and may thus offer diagnostic information on the disease. We hypothesized that a machine learning technology, a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN), could make it possible to detect OSA based solely on lateral cephalometric radiographs without the need for either large amounts of subjective/laboratory data or skilled analyses. Methods In this diagnostic study, a DCNN was developed (n=1,258) and tested (n=131) using data from 1,389 lateral cephalometric radiographs obtained from individuals diagnosed with severe OSA (n=867; apnea hypopnea index >30/hour) or non-OSA (n=522; apnea hypopnea index < 5) at a single center for sleep disorders from March, 2006 to February, 2017. Three kinds of data sets were prepared by changing the area of interest using a single image; original image without any modification (Full Image), image containing a facial profile, upper airway, craniofacial soft/hard tissues, and image containing part of the occipital region (upper left corner of the image; Head Only). A radiologist and an orthodontist also performed a manual cephalometric analysis of the Full Image for comparison. Observers were blinded to the patient groupings. Data analysis was performed from April, 2018 to August, 2019. When the predictive score obtained from the DCNN analysis exceeded the threshold (0.50), the patient was judged to have OSA. The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy in terms of area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results The sensitivity/specificity was 0.87/0.82 for Full Image, 0.88/0.75 for Main Region, 0.71/0.63 for Head Only, and 0.54/0.80 for the manual analysis. The area under the curve was the highest for Main Region (0.92): 0.89 for Full Image, 0.70 for Head Only, and 0.75 for the manual analysis. Conclusion A DCNN identified individuals with OSA with high accuracy. This is a useful approach that does not require any laborious analyses in a primary care setting or in remote areas where an initial specialized OSA diagnosis is not feasible. Support This study was supported in part by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant numbers 17K11793, 19K10236).

A low-temperature pressureless bonding process using a mixture of trimodal-sized Ag nanoparticles was proposed to form excellent Cu-to-Cu joints. Cu-to-Cu joints formed using the mixed Ag nanoparticles at 350°C for 5 min showed bonding strength of 13.7 MPa, in spite of the bonding process without pressure. Elongated dimples observed on the fracture surface of the Cu-to-Cu joint strongly support the effect of the trimodal mixture system of Ag nanoparticles in the low-temperature pressureless bonding process.

With the advancement of computer and medical imaging technology, several high-resolution anatomically realistic whole-body voxel-based models have been developed. These models have been frequently used in electromagnetic dosimetry. However, since they are generally available only in upright configurations, simulations of the actual situation are greatly limited. In this paper, we propose a new posture transformation technique. First, body surface boundaries of the voxel-based model are extracted as polygon mesh data. Next, the posture of the surface mesh model is transformed with a mesh deforming technique applied in computer graphics modeling tool. Lastly, because the body surface meshes have only surface contour information, the coordinates of the voxels corresponding to the points of the internal region of the mesh model are calculated by a volume-refilling algorithm. We applied this proposed technique to Japanese male and female models with standing posture and developed models with sitting posture. The postured models were smoothly transformed while maintaining the continuity of their internal tissues and organs. Moreover, the tissue and organ masses of the postured model were reasonable deviations from those of the original standing models for the practical numerical dosimetry of human body exposure to an electromagnetic field.

Recently, the application of aluminum die cast parts in automobile manufacturing has increased because of the greater demand for automotive weight reduction. For even wider application, it is necessary to reduce manufacturing costs and improve product quality. A material possessing a thermal conductivity 50% higher than the conventional 5% chromium hot work tool steel, AISI-H13, was developed as a die material for high- and low-pressure die casting machines.

C60 was successfully dispersed in a magnesium alloy (AZ31) using friction stir processing (FSP). The grain size of the AZ31 was reduced by the uniform distribution of the C60 molecules. The stir zone of the FSPed AZ31 with the C60 consisted of very small grains, sized less than 100 nm. The maximum microhardness of the C60/AZ31 nanocomposite reached ∼126 Hv, which is almost three times higher than that of the AZ31 substrate.

SiC particles were uniformly dispersed into an AZ31 matrix by friction stir processing (FSP). The SiC particles promoted the grain refinement of the AZ31 matrix by FSP. The mean grain size of the stir zone with the SiC particles was obviously smaller than that of the stir zone without the SiC particles. The microhardness of the stir zone with the SiC particles was reached about 80 Hv due to the grain refinement and the distribution of the SiC particles. Additionally, the SiC particle/AZ31 region showed fine grains even at elevated temperatures (∼400 °C) resulting in the pinning effect by the SiC particles. In contrast, the microhardness was significantly decreased attributed to the abnormal grain growth of the FSPed AZ31 without the SiC particles.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully dispersed into a magnesium alloy (AZ31) using friction stir processing (FSP). Distribution of the MWCNTs was changed on the basis of the travel speed of the FSP tool. The grain size of the MWCNTs/AZ31 surface composites was smaller than that of the FSPed AZ31 without the MWCNTs. The addition of the MWCNTs appears effective for fabricating the composites consisting of fine matrix grains. The maximum microhardness of these composites was ∼78 Hv, which is almost double that of the AZ31 substrate (41 Hv). It is considered that both the grain refinement of the AZ31 matrix and the reinforcement by the MWCNTs increased the microhardness of the surface composites.

The basic characteristics of a sandwich injection molded product depend on the properties of the respective resins that comprise the skin and core layers, and the skin/core resin volume ratio. The characteristics of the core layer resin and the skin/core ratio in particular may vary depending on the injection molding conditions. This report considers the influences that the molding conditions such as injection speed, cylinder temperature, and mold temperature confer on the mechanical properties of the sandwich moldings. The study employed, skin/core resin combinations involving similar and dissimilar materials i.e. homopolymer PP/homopolymer PP and homopolymer PP/copolymer PP, respectively. It was demonstrated that core cylinder temperature and mold temperature could be used to adjust the mechanical properties of sandwich injection moldings. In the case of single material sandwich moldings, injection speed seemed to play no significant role, even though it was clearly demonstrated that core volume increases with injection speed. However, core injection speed plays a significant role in the dual material system by lowering or increasing the mechanical strength of moldings as the case may be. Thus, the dormant or active role of injection speed depending on the material system has been highlighted.

The processing variables that control the occurrence of breakthrough phenomenon in sandwich injection molding were investigated. Particular attention was paid to the conditions that would yield an optimum sandwich molded part. The effects of variation of core volume ratio that would yield optimum core shot size, injection speed and the skin/core viscosity ratio were examined. The flow morphology at the various stages of flow was also explored. The study was conducted with a bar-flow mold mounted on a twin-barrel injection machine fitted with a common nozzle. It was noted that the core material flow distance depends on the core cylinder screw metering position (core shot size). At the stage at which the core material completely penetrated through the skin material (breakthrough), four distinct regions of flow could be identified. The flow distance of the core material is controlled by the injection speed of the core material while the injection speed of the skin material is of little significance. In order to increase the flow distance of the core material, it is effective to increase the core material injection speed albeit limited by an optimum value of screw metering position. It was found that the flow distance of the core material was longer when the core material viscosity was lower than that of the skin material but breakthrough occurred much earlier so core volume is limited. Breakthrough failed to occur when the viscosity of the core material was higher than that of the skin material. It was found that optimum core volume and core distribution occurred when skin/core viscosities were intermediate. The morphology of the skin material leading to breakthrough was also analyzed.

The flow behavior of skin and core materials in co-injection molding was investigated to understand the flow patterns that could lead to core breakthrough in sequential and simultaneous injection molding. A spiral-flow mold was used and the core material was loaded with a black master batch to facilitate the monitoring of the core material. PC/ABS blend was used as the skin material and ABS was the core material. It was revealed irrespective of simultaneous injection time, sandwich injection molding display the four flow regions identified earlier i. e. primary injection region, core advance region, core expansion region and core breakthrough region. The flow length of core expansion region lengthened with increasing simultaneous injection time of skin and core material while the overall injection time decreased. It was also observed that the core became thinner and wider with increasing simultaneous injection time.

In previous studies, the authors confirmed that the plasma-chemical combined hybrid process for controlling NO flue gas emission was extremely effective and economical in comparison with the conventional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and other technologies. In the present study, we carried out experiments on the simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ at elevated temperature using the plasma-chemical hybrid process. A series of experiments was performed to quantify all the reaction byproducts such as N/sub 2/O, CO, HNO/sub 2/, HNO/sub 3/, NO/sub 3//sup -/, and SO/sub 4//sup -/ to evaluate the simultaneous NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ removal efficiency. The oxidation from NO to NO/sub 2/ without decreasing NO/sub x/ concentration (i.e., minimum reaction byproducts) and with least power consumption is the key for the optimum operation of the plasma reactor. The produced NO/sub 2/ was totally converted to N/sub 2/ and Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ with Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ or Na/sub 2/S with and without NaOH using the barrier-type packed-bed plasma reactor followed by the packed-column chemical reactor. The NO/sub 2/ reduction was more effective for Na/sub 2/S than Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ but produces H/sub 2/S with Na/sub 2/S. For both cases at least five times the stoichiometric amount of chemicals were required for complete NO/sub 2/ reduction. Nearly 100% of NO/sub x/ and SO /sub 2/ and 40% Of CO/sub 2/ simultaneous removal were achieved with less than 5 ppm of N/sub 2/O and CO. The operating cost was less than 1/4 the SCR process. The additional SO/sub 2/ treatment system can be eliminated.

Boron thin films were deposited by electron beam evaporation and by pyrolysis of decaborane on quartz substrates. Reflection electron beam diffraction was used to characterize the crystal structure. The amorphous structure was observed for the film deposited by electron beam evaporation. The film was polycrystalline α -rhombohedral boron when the film was deposited by pyrolysis. All samples showed p-type conduction. The conductance of the film deposited by electron beam evaporation decreased linearly against T −4 . Linear relation was observed in the log σ against T −1 plot for the film deposited by pyrolysis. The thermoelectric power of the film deposited by electron beam evaporation decreased from 500 to 300 μV/K as the temperature increased from 300 to 800 K. The power factor increased from 10 −9 to 10 −6 V 2 Ω −1 K −2 cm −1 with increasing temperature from 300 to 800 K.

Ni/Mn multilayers were prepared by the vapor deposition method. The appearance of high spin states in the Mn layers at a low temperature was synthetically clarified from the magnetizations, the exchange biased fields, the spin flopping transition, and the resistivity. Some structural factors that affect the appearance of high spin states were determined. The exchange biased fields showed that high-spin-state Mn layers are antiferromagnetic. The low spin flopping transition fields revealed that the exchange interaction and magnetic anisotropy of the Mn layers were largely reduced, resulting in large magnetizations of high-spin-state antiferromagnetic Mn layers. From a large magnetization, 139 emu/g, of the Ni(20)/Mn(4) in 5 T at 5 K, the largest magnetization, 497 emu/g, of the Mn layers was estimated to be in a high spin state. The Neel temperature (8.2 K) was estimated from saturation magnetization (500 emu/g) and susceptibility (43.1) of the Mn layers. On the other hand, from the temperature dependencies of the exchange biased fields, the Neel temperature was estimated to be 5–20 K. The increase in electric resistance accompanying a decrease in temperature indicated that the transition from a low spin state to a high spin state was accompanied by a localization of 3d-electrons. These magnetic anomalies were qualitatively discussed from the interplanar spacings, the textures, the interfacial roughnesses, Mn layer thicknesses, and relative thicknesses of Ni layers to those of Mn layers.

Space radiation dosimetry measurements have been made on board the Space Shuttle. A newly developed active detector called “Real-time Radiation Monitoring Device (RRMD)” was used (Doke et al., 1995; Hayashi et al., 1995). The RRMD results indicate that low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) particles steadily penetrate around the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) without clear enhancement of dose equivalent and some daily periodic enhancements of dose equivalent due to high LET particles are seen at the lower geomagnetic cutoff regions (Doke et al., 1996). We also have been analyzing the space weather during the experiment, and found that the anomalous high-energy particle enhancement was linked to geomagnetic disturbance due to the high speed solar wind from a coronal hole. Additional analysis and other experiments are necessary for clarification of these phenomena. If a penetration of high-energy panicles into the low altitude occurs by common geomagnetic disturbances, the prediction of geomagnetic activity becomes more important in the next Space Station's era.

With a view of understanding the potential roles of phosphodiesterase (PDE)3 in the acceleration of atherosclerosis in diabetes, we have analyzed the in vivo levels of low Km cAMP PDE3 and PDE4 activities as well as PDE3A and PDE3B mRNA in a relevant animal model. The JCR:LA-cp rat is a unique strain that develops obesity, insulin resistance, and vasculopathy when homozygous for the autosomal recessive cp gene (cp/cp). Lean rats, bred (designated +/?) as a 2:1 mixture of animals that are heterozygous (cp/+) or homozygous normal (+/+), are metabolically normal. We find that PDE3 activity is the major low Km cAMP activity in the aorta of cp/cp rats and is approximately twofold higher than that in lean +/? rats. PDE3A mRNA levels in middle-aged cp/cp rats are also elevated, approximately threefold, compared with those of +/? rats or young 12-week-old cp/cp rats. Thus, in the aorta of atherosclerosis-prone insulin-resistant cp/cp rats, PDE3A gene expression is upregulated, resulting in significantly higher PDE3 activity. This upregulation of PDE3A mRNA levels was a rather unique phenomenon to the aorta of JCR:LA-cp rats compared with that in the aorta of other rat strains. This result is consistent with our hypothesis that an increased PDE3 activity in aortic smooth muscle cells may contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis in diabetes. Furthermore, determination of PDE3 activity and PDE3A and PDE3B mRNA levels in heart and white and brown fat tissues of JCR:LA-cp rats revealed that PDE3B mRNA and activity in white adipose tissue is downregulated in this diabetic animal model, and that PDE3A and PDE3B genes are tissue-specifically expressed and differentially regulated in aorta and adipose tissue, respectively, under hyperinsulinemic conditions.

Inter-simple sequence repeat polymorphic DNA (ISSR) was evaluated for its applicability as a genetic marker system in wheat. PCR was carried out with primers that annealed to simple sequence repeats. The resultant products were subjected to agarose-gel electrophoresis, and the banding patterns were compared among six wheat accessions containing diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid members. Out of 100 examined, 33 primers produced distinguishable as well as polymorphic bands in each of the six accessions. Although most of the primers that gave distinct bands (30 primers out of 33) contained dinucleotide repeats, each of the primers with tri-, tetra-, and penta-nucleotide motifs also yielded discrete bands. Primers based on (AC)n repeats gave the most polymorphic bands. In total, 224 polymorphic bands were found in the comparison between Einkorn wheats whereas, on the average, 120 polymorphic bands were detected between common wheats. ISSR primers produced several times more information than RAPD markers. The extent of band polymorphism was similar to that of RFLP markers, and greater than that of RAPDs. The genetic relationships of wheat accessions estimated by the polymorphism of ISSR markers were identical with those inferred by RFLP and RAPD markers, indicating the reliability of ISSR markers for estimation of genotypes. These polymorphic bands are potential candidates as novel markers for use in linkage-map construction in wheat. The characteristic features of ISSR markers, i.e. polymorphism, generation of information and ease of handling, suggest their applicability to the analysis of genotypes as well as to the construction of PCR-based genome maps of wheats.

The effects of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals on apoptosis of cultured peripheral blood neutrophils were investigated. MSU crystals at low concentrations decreased the rate of spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The culture supernatant of MSU crystal stimulated neutrophils also promoted a delay in neutrophil apoptosis. MSU crystals at higher concentrations rapidly caused cell lysis. These findings indicated that MSU crystals are capable of amplifying the inflammatory responses of gouty arthritis by decreasing the rates of neutrophil apoptosis at lower concentrations and inducing cell lysis at higher concentrations.

Using a Ti15V3Cr3Sn3Al alloy, the process of (α + β) microstructure development was studied in heavily cold rolled (by 80%) and aged specimens and in specimens which were rolled, recovered and aged. By aging after 80% cold rolling, α phase precipitates on dislocations introduced by deformation at all aging temperatures were examined (773–973 K). The rearrangement of dislocations in β matrix proceeds, resulting in the formation of subgrains as aging is prolonged. In this case, the variants of α phase are restricted to a few numbers. On the other hand, in the case of the specimen aged at 933 K after 80% cold rolling and annealing at 1073 K for 30 s, α phase precipitates at the subgrain boundary in the recovered β region. More variants in the Burgers relationship are observed than in the rolled aged specimens. In aging at 773 K after the recovery treatment, α precipitates form within β subgrains as well as the subgrain boundaries.

A simple method for estimating elevated dose in the vicinity of a nuclear facility due to downward radiation arising from the plume discharge and direct or scattered radiations is presented. In eliminating the background this method relies on lead shields and a 'control location'. By using two different types of passive dosemeter, a photoluminescence dosemeter (PLD SC-1) and a thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD CaSO 4 :Tm), three runs of monthly measurements have been carried out to evaluate their applicability in isolating the elevated dose at locations close to the radioactive waste storage in the Oarai site and the Tokai site of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The results obtained were intercompared with the reference values measured with a 3 diam. spherical NaI(T1) detector applying a function G(E). By correcting the results of the TLD by a correction factor associated with the energy dependence effect, almost all of the results of the three runs were in agreement within the limits of uncertainty. Compared with the reference values, the results based on the PLD readings are closer than those from TLD.

Four patients who had injured the lower end of the humerus in childhood with resulting cubitus varus developed recurrent posterior dislocation of the head of the radius after further injury to the elbow. Dislocation occurred when the forearm was supinated and spontaneous reduction took place on pronation. At operation the lateral ligament complex was seen to be lax and elongated. After tightening of the ligament and with a supracondylar osteotomy of the humerus to correct the cubitus varus the recurrent dislocation was eliminated.

The finger domain deletion mutant of tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) has a prolonged half-life in vivo but tends to be accompanied by a decrease in affinity for fibrin. We considered that further refinements in this mutant would reduce the clearance rate and maintain high affinity for fibrin. Two variants, t-PA N37S.S38V G39V R40E.A41S.Q42S and t-PA N37S.S38V G39V R40E.A41F Q42S had a 5-fold increased half-life, but the amount of these variants that bound fibrin was lower than that of wild-type t-PA. To further investigate the effects of these modifications and create a t-PA variant with higher affinity for fibrin, we produced six variants in which residues 37–42 were substituted by more hydophobic amino acids. These variants had various degrees of decreased fibrin binding. Two of them, t-PA N37S.S38VG39VR40I.A41VQ42S and t-PA N37S.S38V.G39V R40I.A41V.Q42L, bound to fibrin stronger than the variants, t-PA N37S.S38VG39VR40E.A41S.Q42S and t-PA N37S.S38VG39VR40E.A41FQ42S, accompanied by a prolonged half-life in vivo. The other objective of this study was to estimate the effects of the amino acid substitution at position 42. Two variants, t-PA N37S.S38VG39VR40E.A41S and t-PA N37S.S38VG39VR40E.A41F had about a 6-fold longer half life in vivo. These data suggest that changes in the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the 37–42 variants are mainly due to modifications at amino acid residues 37–41.

Most patients with hypothyroidism respond to administration of oral thyroxine at a maintenance dose of 50–175 μg/day. This is the first documented patient with post-operative hypothyroidism who required about 10 times the standard dose of thyroxine, and whose symptoms only resolved when intravenous thyroxine was administered daily. Our findings support the benefits of daily intravenous therapy with thyroxine in this case.

Recently, there has been an increased concern regarding the effects of electromagnetic radiation emanating from wireless communication devices on the health of children. In order to determine safe levels of exposure, we intend to use computer simulations and numerical human models to estimate the specific absorption rate (SAR) in young children. However, only a few of the existing numerical models of young children are of the same quality and resolution as anatomically realistic adult models. Therefore, for accurate dosimetry in young children, we have developed anatomically realistic whole-body models using MRI data obtained from healthy three- and seven-year-old volunteers. Our model has a resolution of approximately 2 mm and is segmented into approximately 50 tissues and organs. First, we performed semiautomatic approximate segmentation using an image segmentation tool. Then, detailed segmentation was manually performed by health professionals. Finally, the positions and shapes of the segmented tissues were verified by a pediatric radiologist. The quality of our models is equal to or higher than that of adult models. Our models can be used to perform highly precise numerical simulations for studies on children. In this paper, we also present the basic SAR characteristics of our models at VHF/UHF frequencies.

Background: Precisely defining the number and location of brain metastases is very important for establishing a treatment strategy for malignancies. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now considered the best modality, various improvements in sequences are still being made. Purpose: To prospectively compare the diagnostic ability of three-dimensional, magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (3D MP-RAGE) imaging in detecting metastatic brain tumors, with that of two-dimensional spin-echo (2D SE) T1-weighted imaging. Material and Methods: A total of 123 examinations were included in this study, and 119 examinations from 88 patients with known malignancies were analyzed. All patients underwent T1- and T2-weighted 2D SE transverse imaging, followed by gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted transverse and coronal 2D SE imaging and 3D MP-RAGE transverse imaging. Four radiologists interpreted the images to compare the accuracy and the time required for interpretation for each imaging. Results: 3D MP-RAGE imaging was significantly better than 2D SE imaging for detecting metastatic brain lesions, regardless of the readers’ experience. The sensitivities of the 3D MP-RAGE and 2D SE imaging for all observers were 0.81 vs. 0.80 ( P>0.05), specificities were 0.93 vs. 0.87 ( P0.05), and accuracies were 0.84 vs. 0.78 ( P Conclusion: 3D MP-RAGE imaging proved superior to 2D SE imaging in the detection of brain metastases.

We compared the SARs of the anatomically realistic model of a three-year-old child exposed to vertically and horizontally polarized electromagnetic waves in the frequency range from 30 MHz to 3 GHz with those of the uniform and nonuniform scaling models. We found that it is important to use the anatomically realistic model for highly precise simulation for three-year-old children.

Dienogest is a selective progestin that has been shown to arrest ovarian follicular development in women, without affecting gonadotropin secretion. As luteal progesterone or exogeneous progestins are known to suppress ovarian folliculogenesis via the inhibition of gonadotropin secretion, this action of dienogest on ovaries seems to be unique. To examine the underlying mechanism of the antifolliculogenic effect of dienogest, female cynomolgus monkeys were treated with a single oral dose of 0.1 mg/kg dienogest on day 7 of the menstrual cycle. Plasma FSH, estradiol (E2), and progesterone levels were measured up to 15 days after dosing. In an additional experiment, ovaries were excised 24 h after dosing for histological examinations. As a result, plasma E2 level declined within 24 h after dosing, while dienogest did not decreased FSH level prior to E2 decline. After decline of E2 level, the low level of E2 was sustained for more than 11 days. It is considered that a single oral dose of dienogest induced atresia of the dominant follicle. In the histological examination, two out of three animals showed decline in E2 level. The ovarian dominant follicles from these animals showed apoptotic changes in granulosa cells with scattered aromatase expression within 24 h after dosing. These results indicate that the induction of atresia of the ovarian dominant follicle by direct action would be a possible mechanism of dienogest to inhibit plasma E2 level.

The toxicity/carcinogenicity of monosodium succinate, a food additive, was examined in F344 rats. The oral LD50 was greater than 8 g/kg body weight. In a 13-wk subchronic oral toxicity study, the only toxicological finding was suppression of body-weight gain in groups given greater than or equal to 2.5% monosodium succinate in the drinking-water. Histological examination revealed no toxic lesions specifically caused by the compound in any organs of any of the treated rats. The maximum tolerated dose was determined to be 2-2.5% on the basis of body-weight depression. In a long-term (2-yr) toxicity/carcinogenicity study, monosodium succinate was given ad lib. in drinking-water (distilled water) at levels of 0, 1 or 2% to groups of 50 male and 50 female rats. No toxic lesion specifically caused by long-term administration of monosodium succinate was detected. No dose-related increase was found in the incidences of tumours in any organ or tissue except for C-cell tumours of the thyroid gland of females. The incidence of these tumours in females given the 2% dose was higher than that in controls but not significantly so, and a positive trend for this tumour was noted in females. C-Cell tumour is one of the most commonly observed spontaneous tumours in ageing female rats of this strain and occurs at a variable incidence. There was no difference between the female control and treated groups in the incidence of preneoplastic change of the thyroid gland. Furthermore, the incidence of C-cell tumours in the female control group was lower than that in our historical controls. It is concluded that the increase in C-cell tumours in the female high-dose group and the detection of a positive trend for this tumour in females were probably a function of experimental variability and were not related to treatment. The results indicate that monosodium succinate had neither toxic nor carcinogenic activity in F344 rats when it was given continuously at levels of 1 or 2% in the drinking-water for 2 yr.

The term "camptocormia" describes a forward-flexed posture. It is a condition characterized by severe frontal flexion of the trunk. Recently, camptocormia has been regarded as a form of abdominal segmental dystonia. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising therapeutic approach to various types of movement disorders. The authors report the neurological effects of DBS to the bilateral globus pallidum (GPi) in three cases of disabling camptocormia.Of the 36 patients with dystonia, three had symptoms similar to that of camptocormia, and all of these patients underwent GPi-DBS. The site of DBS electrode placement was verified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Burke Fahn and Marsden dystonia rating scale (BFMDRS) was employed to evaluate the severity of dystonic symptoms preoperatively and postoperatively.Significant functional improvement following GPi-DBS was noted in the majority of dystonia cases. At a follow-up observation after more than six months, the overall improvement rate was 71.2 +/- 27.0%, in all dystonia cases who underwent the GPi-DBS. In contrast, the improvement rate of the three camptocormia cases was 92.2 +/- 5.3%. It was confirmed that the improvement rate for camptocormia was much higher than for other types of dystonia.According to our experience, a patient with a forward-bent dystonic posture indicative of camptocormia is a good candidate for GPi-DBS. The findings of this study add further support to GPi-DBS as an effective treatment for dystonia, and provide the information on predictors of a good outcome.

Opalinus Clay is a candidate host rock for a high-level radioactive waste repository in Switzerland. Microbial metabolism and its by-products could affect the physical and (geo)chemical conditions in such a repository. This study investigated the occurrence of indigenous microbes, their community size and-structure in an Opalinus Clay core from the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland, drilled with aseptic techniques. Core sub-samples were distributed to five laboratories, where they were analysed with microscopy, culture-and molecular biology techniques. Evidence supporting a viable microbial community in Opalinus Clay included: five positive culture results (including for sulphate-reducing bacteria, SRB) out of 20 culture attempts; extraction of 64 ng phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) per g clay, suggesting the presence of viable cells; detection of PLFA biomarkers for anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria and SRB; and the presence of sufficient nutrients to support growth of indigenous and ...

We performed an electrophysiological study demonstrating inhibition of spontaneous muscle action potentials within a coculture of rat muscle and spinal cord by exposure to serum, as well as purified IgG, from patients with the acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). However, exposure to serum from two patients with the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) form of GBS had no effect. Using a whole-cell recording technique, we then investigated the effects of serum and purified IgG from patients with GBS on voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) currents in nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells. Serum from patients with GBS (AMAN) inhibited VDCC currents in PC12 cells, which was fully reversible by washing with the bath solution. Similarly, purified IgG from the serum of two patients with GBS (AMAN) also inhibited VDCC currents in PC12 cells. In contrast, sera from patients with AIDP and healthy volunteers did not affect VDCC currents in PC12 cells. These results suggest that muscle weakness in some patients with GBS might be induced by inhibition of Ca2+ channel currents within motor nerve terminals.

We investigated the correlation between the changes in diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, regional water content, and tissue ultrastructure after vasogenic brain edema induced by cortical cold lesioning. In this cat model, E3 in the white matter was dominantly increased while fractional anisotropy (FA) was significantly decreased 8 hours after cortical cold lesioning. This finding indicates that water diffusion in the cortical white matter mainly increased perpendicularly rather than parallel to the direction of the nerve fibers. Additionally, in the area where edema is mild or moderate (tissues with water content of 65% to 75%), FA in the chronic phase was significantly lower than that in the acute phase. Histological examination demonstrated disordered arrangement of nerve fibers, highly dissociated neuronal fibers due to extracellular accumulation of protein rich-fluid, and enlarged interfiber spaces in the acute phase.

Measurement of the adenosine A1 receptor (A1-R) with positron emission tomography (PET) using a newly developed positron ligand, [1-methyl-11C]8-dicyclopropylmethyl-1-methyl-3-propylxanthine (MPDX). were performed in a cat middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion and reperfusion. Eighteen adult cats underwent PET measurement of; 1) cerebral blood flow (CBF). 2) A1-R, 3) central benzodiazepine receptor (BDZ-R) and 4) glucose metabolism with 15O labeled water, MPDX, 11C-flumazenil (FMZ) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), respectively. The CBF, A1-R, BDZ-R and FDG uptake were serially measured after 60 min occlusion of MCA in this order. MPDX binding and FMZ binding, but not CBF and FDG uptake, were significantly reduced in the groups with severer ischemic insult than in the groups with no or milder insults. Of the two receptor ligands, the reduction rate of the MPDX binding to A1-Rs was larger in a group that caused fatal ischemic insult. The newly developed PET in vivo imaging technique using MPDX was suitable in evaluating the function of adenosine and A1-Rs in relation to cerebral ischemia.

It has been shown in previous studies that recovery of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water is not necessarily associated with a reversal of tissue damage. We examined the relationships between temporal ADC change and histological outcome after embolic stroke in rat using an experimental MRI scanner.Male Wistar rats underwent embolization of the right middle cerebral artery with autologous clot. ADC and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were measured consecutively for 3 hours after embolization. The brains were prepared for histological examination.Transient decline of ADC was observed during the initial 2 hours after embolization. In these areas, serial rCBF measurement revealed incomplete recovery. In some other areas, ADC decrease without rCBF recovery was observed during 3 hours postischemia. Histological examination revealed infarction in areas with persistent ADC decrease. Scattered neuronal death was noticeable in areas with a transient--in some areas less than 0.5 hour--ADC decrease.Consecutive MRI analysis demonstrated postischemic transient ADC decrease in an embolic stroke model of rat. The normalization of ADC does not signify normalization of postischemic tissue, since the areas often evolve postischemic neuronal death at a later time.

Third element additions have been effectively employed in CoCrX alloys for longitudinal recording as a means of improving magnetic performance. In this work, we report on similar modifications to Perpendicular (/spl perp/) magnetic storage media. Specifically, we show how solid solutions of /spl ap/10 at.% Pt in 78Co-17Cr-5Ta /spl perp/ recording media result in a significant increase in /spl perp/ anisotropy, coercivity and remanent magnetization. The impact on recording performance is manifested by an increase in pulse amplitude and a decrease in pulse width, combining to yield /spl ap/25% increase in linear storage density. X-ray diffraction measurements show the Pt to be in solid solution with the Co lattice, and it is suggested that the increased anisotropy results from the Pt altering the intrinsic crystalline anisotropy constant of the alloy.

The effects of hyperoxia to neurovasculature were investigated using a mouse brain as a physiological model. Pure oxygen was applied to the mouse respiratory system to induce hyperoxia in the brain. Physiological alterations were acquired using a 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Independent component analysis (ICA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to the time-series MRI data to extract the transient hyperoxic responses. ICA and PCA successfully extracted the transient hyperoxic responses and localized similar affected areas. ICA, however, could provide a better signal extraction than PCA in terms of wave-shape.

A silicon superjunction MOSFET with very low specific on-resistance, R/sub on/A, and very low R/sub on/Q/sub gd/, where Q/sub gd/ is the gate-to-drain switching charge, is reported. R/sub on/A and R/sub on/Q/sub gd/ achieved are 24 m/spl Omega/cm/sup 2/ and 2.0 /spl Omega/nC at the breakdown voltage of 680 V, which are the lowest among the reported values for high-voltage silicon power MOSFETs with breakdown voltage above 500 V. Numerical analysis and discussions on the design of the buried epitaxial superjunction technology are also presented.

In the previous studies, we confirmed that the plasma-chemical combined hybrid process for controlling NO/sub x/ flue gas emission was extremely effective and economical in comparison with the conventional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and other technologies. In the present study, we carried out the experiments on the simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ at elevated temperature using the plasma-chemical hybrid process. A series of experiments were performed to quantify all the reaction byproducts such as N/sub 2/O, CO, HNO/sub 2/, HNO/sub 3/, NO/sub 3//sup -/ and SO/sub 4//sup -/ to evaluate the simultaneous NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ removal efficiency. The oxidation from NO to NO/sub 2/ without decreasing NO/sub x/ concentration (i.e., minimum reaction byproducts) and with least power consumption is the key for the optimum reactor operating condition. The produced NO/sub 2/ was totally converted to N/sub 2/ and Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ with Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ or Na/sub 2/S with and without NaOH using the barrier-type packed-bed plasma reactor followed by the packed column chemical reactor. The NO/sub 2/ reduction was more effective for Na/sub 2/S than Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ and at least 5 times of stoichiometric amount of chemicals are required for complete N/sub 2/ reduction. The hybrid process showed nearly 100% NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ simultaneous removal which was achieved with less than 5 ppm of N/sub 2/O and CO, and the operating cost was less than 1/10 of the SCR process. The additional SO/sub 2/ treatment system can be eliminated.