Elevation of soluble IL-2 receptor and IL-4, and nonelevation of IFN-gamma in sera from patients with allergic asthma

This study is the first demonstration of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactivity in the retina of the lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis. This immunoreactivity is expressed on one hand, in radial processes and somata which belong to Müller cells and, on the other hand, in horizontal fibers in the intermediate plexus between horizontal cells. The tracing of these fibers to Müller cells or horizontal cells is discussed.     

Jejunal perforation caused by blunt abdominal trauma in a patient with Crohn's disease: report of a case

We report herein the case of a 23-year-old man with Crohn's disease who was found to have a perforated small bowel following blunt abdominal trauma sustained in a traffic accident. The general findings of diffuse peritonitis were identified by physical examination, and a plain X-ray film showed free air in the abdominal cavity. An emergency laparotomy was performed which revealed three perforated ulcers in the affected intestine. An abrupt increase in intraluminal pressure due to the striking force of the steering wheel to the abdomen was assumed to have been the cause of these perforations.     

Preparation of Silicon-Titanium-Carbon-Oxygen Fabric/ Mullite Filler/Polytitanocarbosilane Laminates by Polymer Impregnation and Pyrolysis Method

A polytitanocarbosilane (PTC, 20–50 mass%)–xylene solution was infiltrated into a porous, laminated woven fabric of 21–33 vol% Si-Ti-C-O fibers including 26–46 vol% mullite powder (filler) and decomposed at 1000°C in an argon atmosphere. This polymer impregnation and pyrolysis method (PIP) was repeated eight times to produce a laminated composite of 68%–85% of theoretical density. The effects of the polymer concentration and the fraction of mullite filler on the densification rate and microstructure of the layered composite were studied. The pseudoductility of the densified composite, as measured using four-point flexural testing, was caused by buckling after the elastic deformation and was followed by delamination along the direction of the layered fabric. The strength and the energy of fracture were enhanced by controlling the incorporation of mullite filler in the filament yarn (formation of a narrow pore-size distribution) and densification with a low-viscosity PTC solution. The composite with a higher strength provided a higher energy of fracture. The maximum energy of fracture reached 22 kJ/m² in the composite with 330 MPa of strength in four-point flexure.     

Effect of Temperature on the Slurry Characteristics and Green Bodies of Alumina

The importance of temperature in colloidal processing was examined by investigating its effect on the characteristics of a ceramic slurry and on the subsequent processing before firing. An aqueous alumina slurry was used as a model system in the present study. The viscosity of the slurry was found to vary significantly with temperature, and the structure of the resultant green bodies made by centrifugation varied correspondingly. The importance of temperature in the production of ceramics is discussed in light of these results.     

Reactions of organoboron polymers prepared by hydroboration polymerization

Summary This paper describes a novel methodology for the preparation of poly(ketone). An organoboron polymer was prepared by polyaddition between thexylborane and 1,7-octadiene, which was reacted with potassium cyanide in the presence of trifluoroacetic anhydride. After oxidation of the reaction mixture, the corresponding poly(ketone) was obtained.     

Morphology control of ductile second phase and improved mechanical properties in high-strength low-alloy steels with mixed structure

Mixed structures of martensite and non-martensitic decomposition product (ductile second phase) can often be produced in commercial heat treatments of low-alloy steels. Such mixed structures can sometimes produce a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of steels, but they can significantly improve strength, ductility and notch toughness if the ductile second phase appears in a suitable morphology (size, shape and distribution) in association with tempered martensite. Therefore, microstructures have recently been produced in a deliberate attempt to improve the mechanical properties of ultrahigh-strength low-alloy steels. In this review, an attempt has been made to present the effect of the morphology (shape, size and distribution) of the ductile second phase on improved mechanical properties of ultrahighstrength low-alloy steels having mixed structures, This review first discusses the effect of the morphology of the second-phase bainite on mechanical properties of high-strength low-alloy steels with mixed structures of martensite and bainite, in which great improvement in the mechanical properties of the steel has been associated with the morphology of the bainite. Then, knowledge of the recent development of a steel having the mixed structures for low-temperature ultrahigh-strength applications is also reported.     

An observation on subsurface defects of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene due to rolling contact

A double-blind, randomized, parallel study in 167 hospitalized patients with major depression and melancholia was conducted to determine if rapidly escalated doses of venlafaxine produced an earlier response, compared with rapidly escalated doses of imipramine. The daily dose of venlafaxine was rapidly increased to 375 mg/day over a five-day period, was maintained at this level for 10 days, and then was reduced to 150 mg/day for the remainder of the study. The imipramine dose was rapidly increased to 200 mg/day over five days and was maintained at this level to the end of the study. The primary efficacy variables were time to response and time to sustained response on the HAM-D and MADRS. No differences in the response rates on the HAM-D or MADRS were observed between treatments. However, among patients who demonstrated a response on the HAM-D, there was a significantly faster onset of response (p = 0.036) and sustained response (p = 0.018) in the venlafaxine group. The median time to response on the HAM-D among responders was 14 days with venlafaxine and 21 days with imipramine. However, no differences between treatments were observed among responders on the MADRS (median time to response: 15 days for venlafaxine, 18 days for imipramine). Study events were reported in 69% of venlafaxine-treated patients and 76% of imipramine-treated patients. In severely depressed patients with melancholia, a faster onset of response was observed with venlafaxine on the HAM-D, but not the MADRS, and maximal tolerated doses of venlafaxine and imipramine were comparable for overall efficacy. These results confirm and extend previous observations and suggest that venlafaxine may have an early onset of action and may produce a rapid response in hospitalized patients with severe depression complicated by melancholia.     

Numerical simulation of clustering phenomena for point-defects in HgCdTe

We investigated the formation of cluster defects in HgCdTe materials by numerical simulation. The equations used for the simulation include change in the activation energy for Hg vacancy diffusion dependent on the local cadmium composition. This study demonstrated how defects grow during thermal treatment. We simulated the annealing process for initial composition fluctuations in uniform n-type Hg_0.78Cd_0.22Te. When the local composition fluctuations increase, we found that the concentration of vacancies around the initial core increases because of the composition difference between the initial core and bulk region. Concurrently, if the fluctuation range is narrow, the resulting large constant for interstitial diffusion accelerates this process. We determined that the critical fluctuation range is in the order of 50 nm for annealing at 150°C. The concentration of clustering vacancies around the initial core reached 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, meaning that the conductivity of the cluster region changed to the p-type. We conclude that such cluster defects have a structure consisting of a core surrounded by a p-type shell.     

Integrative modeling of gene expression and metabolism with E-CELL System

A gene-expression model for an E-CELL simulation was constructed, and the simulation was carried out. The model was integrated with a metabolism model of the self-sustaining virtual cell model which was constructed based on aMycoplasma genitalium cell. Details of the model structure and the results of the simulation are shown. AnEscherichia coli lac-operon model was also constructed by integrating and abstracting the gene-expression model. Wherever possible, experimental parameters were used to construct the model This work was presented, in part, at the Sixth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Tokyo, Japan, January 15–17, 2001     

A multi‐user CDMA receiver utilizing decorrelating detector with additional dummy pilot response

A pilot assisted CDMA system which uses extended spreading sequences with guard sequences under a quasi‐synchronous condition is capable of separating the interference components included in the input of a de‐correlating receiver by solving a system of linear equations. The performance of such a system, however, depends on the property of the de‐correlating matrix consisting of the received pilots, which correspond to the respective user spreading sequences and the multi‐path channel conditions. That is, the regularity of the matrix often tends to degrade, and the rank reduces occasionally primarily due to the multi‐paths, resulting in solutions that are vulnerable to AWGN. The present paper proposes an effective technique to solve this problem by introducing a virtual user into a group of real users that are to be served. The simulation results indicate a remarkable improvement in the bit‐error‐rate (BER) performance. In addition, based on the BER performance, the system has a RAKE‐like function that has power‐sum characteristics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.