Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with arterial branch reconstruction: utility of the temporary bypass technique

A 6-year prospective study of 80 abdominoplasties is reported. Type and incidence of complications are presented with particular attention toward the incidence of fluid collection following abdominoplasty, such as seroma and hematoma. Ultrasound was performed in 56 patients (70%), with normal findings in 27 patients (48%). Accurate diagnosis of fluid collection in 29 patients (51.8%), seroma in 24 (42.8%), and hematoma in 5 (9%) was confirmed with the aid of ultrasound. The advantage of early radiological diagnosis alerted the surgeon for positive findings of fluid collection areas in the abdominal wall, which resulted in close observation and early intervention whenever indicated. Ultrasound of the abdominal wall following abdominoplasty provides a noninvasive, accurate, and low-cost method of diagnosing fluid collection in the abdominal wall. This method, if performed routinely postabdominoplasty, will aid the surgeon in managing potential complications such as wound-healing problems, infection, and patient discomfort.     

Detection of norovirus RNA in bivalve molluscs by using bacteria-culture-employed method (A3T method)

Norovirus (NV) RNA has rarely been detected in foods despite the use of highly sensitive methods such as RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. In the modified method (A3T method) reported previously, a bacterial culture process was introduced into the standard protocol for NV detection to remove some inhibitor(s) present in food ingredients. To confirm the efficiency of the A3T method and to examine NV contamination in bivalve molluscs, we tried to detect NV RNA in bivalve molluscs on the market and in oyster samples associated with foodborne outbreaks by using the standard method and the A3T method. NV RNAs were detected in 20 samples (18.0%) of 111 bivalve molluscs, including oysters, on the market by use of the A3T method, while only one sample (0.9%) was positive according to the standard method. NV RNA was also detected in 10 of 35 oyster samples related to foodborne outbreaks by the A3T method. Those results show that the A3T method is suitable for the detection of NV in bivalve molluscs in general laboratories.     

Lead recovery from PbZrO3 using wet ball-mill technique and hydrothermal synthesis of alpha-zirconium phosphate from wastewater for resource recovery

Lead recovery from lead zirconate (PbZrO(3)) ceramics was investigated using a wet ball-mill treatment in H(2)SO(4) aqueous solution. Subsequently crystalline alpha-zirconium phosphate (alpha-Zr(HPO(4))(2).H(2)O) was synthesized using a hydrothermal technique in order for the resource recovery of zirconium in the wastewater after the wet ball-mill treatment. A wet ball-mill treatment in 4.5M H(2)SO(4) aqueous solution for 24h was capable of converting more than 99.9% of the Pb initially included in the PbZrO(3) to solid state PbSO(4) with a purity of 98%. On the other hand, the Zr in the PbZrO(3) was dissolved into the acidic solution during the treatment. The Pb and Zr metal elements coexisting in PbZrO(3) were successfully separated by the wet ball-mill technique. Then, resource recovery of zirconium in the wastewater was examined. Crystalline alpha-Zr(HPO(4))(2).H(2)O was synthesized by hydrothermal treatments in 3.1-12.5M H(3)PO(4) aqueous solutions at temperatures of 120-240 degrees C for a duration of 70h. The hydrothermally prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and then they were also evaluated in terms of cation exchange capacity (CEC) measurement and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.     

Double-sensor method for detection of oscillating electric field

An electric-field sensor consisting of thin copper plates is designed to measure an oscillating electric field produced by charge separations on a plasma column. The sensor installed in a vacuum region around plasma detects charges induced by the electric field on the copper plates. The value of the induced charges depends not only on the strength of the electric field, but also on the design of the sensor. To obtain the correct strength of the electric field, a correction factor arising from the design of the sensor must be known. The factor is calculated numerically using Laplace's equation and compared with a value measured using a uniform electric field in the frequency range of 10-500 kHz. When an external circuit is connected to the sensor to measure the induced charges, the electric field around the sensor is disturbed. Therefore, a double-sensor method for excluding a disturbed component in the measured electric field is proposed. The reliability of the double-sensor method is confirmed by measuring dipole-like and quadrupole-like electric fields.     

Multiple hepatic cysts along the intrahepatic bile duct--case report

A case of multiple hepatic cysts of the periductal gland located along the left intrahepatic bile duct is described. Ultrasonography and computed tomography disclosed many cystic lesions along the left portal vein in the left lateral segment of the liver. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography showed many compressed lesions. The resected specimen revealed multiple cysts of 2-7mm in diameter along the intrahepatic bile duct. Microscopically, cysts within the large Glisson's capsule were intermixed with lobuli of the periductal glands, thus suggesting periductal gland origin. Histopathological features of these cysts were similar to those of "multiple hilar cysts" reported by Nakanuma, but lack of portal hypertension and underlying chronic liver disease is the significant characteristics in this case which is different from "multiple hilar cysts".     

Water quality and transparency characteristics during the Planktothrix abundance period in shallow Lake Kasumigaura,Japan

Cyanobacterial blooms in lakes cause serious environmental problems on a global scale. Planktothrix (a filamentous cyanobacterium) blooms occurred during winter and spring from 2007 to 2011 in Lake Kasumigaura, a eutrophic lake located in Japan. This study analysed water quality during the period of Planktothrix abundance (2007–2010) at the centre of Lake Kasumigaura and compared it to that in the succeeding period, which did not have Planktothrix blooms (2012–2015). The average phytoplankton biovolume during the abundance period was larger than that in the succeeding period, which would contribute to the high chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn; annual average of 9.7 mg/L) in the abundance period, compared to the succeeding period (7.6 mg/L). The total phosphorus concentration peaked in spring and summer in the abundance period, but only in summer in the succeeding period, whereas the seasonal variation in total nitrogen concentration between the two periods was relatively small. The annual average transparency (Secchi disc depth) increased before the abundance period due to a decrease in fixed suspended solid, which is comprised mainly of inorganic matter. It is likely that the change in irradiance conditions affected the occurrence of Planktothrix blooms.     

Evaluation and control of the adhesiveness of cohesive calcium carbonate particles at high temperatures

Understanding the adhesiveness of fine particulate materials at high temperatures is important to achieving the stable, economical operation of various industrial systems. In the present research, two types of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) particles having different mean particle sizes (often used as heat carriers in energy systems) were evaluated. The tensile strengths of beds of these materials were determined at various temperatures by tensile strength measurement tester. The adhesiveness was found to increase greatly at 500 °C even without chemical reactions or sintering, and X-ray diffraction analyses showed thermal expansion of the CaCO₃ crystals at 500 °C. Pure alumina (Al₂O₃) and silica (SiO₂) microparticles did not exhibit the same pronounced increases in tensile strength or crystal expansion at this same temperature. Because the surface distances between these primary particles were presumably small, it is proposed that van der Waals forces between the particles greatly increased at high temperatures. The addition of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles to the CaCO₃ decreased the tensile strengths of the powder beds both at ambient temperature and at 500 °C. The experimental data confirm that the surface distances between primary particles were increased upon incorporating the nanoparticles, such that the tensile strength decreased during heat treatment.     

Copper-Alkali Ion Exchange of Alkali Aluminosilicate Glasses in Molten CuCl—An Ion Exchange Controlled by the Cu+→Cu2+ Oxidation Reaction in Glass

The kinetics of copper-potassium ion exchange of potassium aluminosilicate glass have been investigated in molten CuCl at 550°C in air and nitrogen. The presence of oxygen dissolved in molten CuCl has a great effect on the Cu-K ion-exchange kinetics, i.e. ion exchange in nitrogen is controlled by the interdiffusion process of Cu⁺ and K⁺ in the glass, whereas ion exchange in air seems to be controlled by the Cu⁺→Cu²⁺ oxidation reaction.     

Raman spectra of high‐density,low‐density,and linear low‐density polyethylene pellets and prediction of their physical properties by multivariate data analysis

Raman spectra have been measured for pellets of five samples of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), seven samples of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), and six samples of linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE). The obtained Raman spectra have been compared to find out characteristic Raman bands of HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the Raman spectra in the 1600–650 cm^?1 region after multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) to discriminate the Raman spectra of the three different PE species. They are classified into three groups by a score plot of PCA factor 1 vs. 2. HDPE with high density and high crystallinity gives high scores on the factor 1 axis, while LDPE with low density and low crystallinity yields negative scores on the same axis. It seems that factor 1 reflects the density or crystallinity. A PC weight loadings plot for factor 1 shows six upward peaks corresponding to the bands arising from the crystalline parts or all‐trans ? (CH₂)_n? groups and seven downward peaks ascribed to the bands of the amorphous or anisotropic regions and those arising from the short branches. Partial least‐squares (PLS‐1) regression was applied to the Raman spectra after MSC to propose calibration models that predict the density, crystallinity, and melting points of the polyethylenes. The correlation coefficient was calculated to be 0.9941, 0.9800, and 0.9709 for the density, crystallinity, and melting point, respectively, and their root‐mean‐square error of cross validation (RMSECV) was found to be 0.0015, 3.3707, and 2.3745, respectively. The loadings plot of factor 2 for the prediction of melting point is largely different from those for the prediction of density and crystallinity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 443–448, 2002