Developmental spectrum of cardiac outflow tract anomalies encompassing transposition of the great arteries and dextroposition of the aorta: pathogenic effect of extrinsic retinoic acid in the mouse embryo

We previously reported that retinoic acid shows a dose-dependent differential induction of various cardiac outflow anomalies: transposition of the great arteries is induced mainly by a high dose (70 mg/kg) and dextroposition of the aorta by a low dose (40-60 mg/kg; Yasui et al., 1995). We subsequently delineated the aberrant outflow tract septation process leading to the transposition (Yasui et al., 1997). The aim of the present study was to illustrate a spectrum of developmental abnormalities by examining mouse embryos treated with a low dose of retinoic acid and comparing them with embryos administered a high dose. We employed in situ observation on live embryos to discern the blood flow streams and scanning electron microscopy to clarify the internal structure. The embryos treated with a low dose of retinoic acid showed several basic phenotypes common to the high dose retinoic acid group, although variable and relatively mild, such as hypoplasia and dysplasia in the proximal outflow cushions, decreased counter-clockwise rotation in the distal outflow tract, and deviation of the edges of the developing outflow septum. In typical cases, the right-sided edge of the developing outflow septum shifted ventrally by various degrees, allowing for the right ventricle-to-aorta pathway, whereas the left-sided edge preserved the continuity with the interventricular septum, as in the normal embryo. These findings indicate that morphogenesis of dextroposition of the aorta and transposition of the great arteries are not only distinct but also show some basic pathways in common.     

A developmental defect in Plasmodium falciparum male gametogenesis

Asexually replicating populations of Plasmodium parasites, including those from cloned lines, generate both male and female gametes to complete the malaria life cycle through the mosquito. The generation of these sexual forms begins with the induction of gametocytes from haploid asexual stage parasites in the blood of the vertebrate host. The molecular processes that govern the differentiation and development of the sexual forms are largely unknown. Here we describe a defect that affects the development of competent male gametocytes from a mutant clone of P. falciparum (Dd2). Comparison of the Dd2 clone to the predecessor clone from which it was derived (W2'82) shows that the defect is a mutation that arose during the long-term cultivation of asexual stages in vitro. Light and electron microscopic images, and indirect immunofluorescence assays with male-specific anti-alpha-tubulin II antibodies, indicate a global disruption of male development at the gametocyte level with at least a 70-90% reduction in the proportion of mature male gametocytes by the Dd2 clone relative to W2'82. A high prevalence of abnormal gametocyte forms, frequently containing multiple and unusually large vacuoles, is associated with the defect. The reduced production of mature male gametocytes may reflect a problem in processes that commit a gametocyte to male development or a progressive attrition of viable male gametocytes during maturation. The defect is genetically linked to an almost complete absence of male gamete production and of infectivity to mosquitoes. This is the first sex-specific developmental mutation identified and characterized in Plasmodium.     

Injection-locked oscillator chain: a possible solution tomillimeter-wave MMIC synthesizers

An injection-locked oscillator (ILO) monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit (MMIC) chain-a cascade of low- and high-frequency-band ILOs-is proposed for simple and cost-effective millimeter-wave local oscillators and synthesizers. Primary 5, 20, and 50 GHz-band ILO MMICs are designed and fabricated as an ILO-chain chip set. Improvements made to the active combiner/dividers (A-C/D's), the heart of the MMIC, in the external feedback path for an amplifier to suppress spurs at the output port of 5 and 20 GHz band ILOs, and enhance the loop gain and layout flexibility at millimeter-wave frequencies. Fabricated 5 and 20 GHz-band ILO MMICs are chain-connected to confirm the design techniques. The ILO chain provides a 20 GHz-band output signal for an injection signal of 571 MHz, as well as a very low level of spurs of less than -45 dBc around the output signal. The measured results show that the proposed ILO chain is extremely suitable for developing full millimeter-wave MMIC frequency synthesizers     

Divider and combiner line-unified FET's as basic circuit functionmodules. II

For pt.I see ibid., vol.38, no.9, p.1210-17 (1990). Applications of line-unified FETs (LUFETs) to RF signal processing elements such as multiport combiner/dividers, mixers, balanced modulators, signal path switches, and circulators are proposed and demonstrated. A 2×1 combiner monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) using an in-phase combiner LUFET and an N×N combiner/divider based on the 2×1 combiner topology are presented. A single-end mixer and a balanced mixer implemented by combining divider and combiner LUFETs are presented, and a balanced mixer LUFET is proposed. A balanced modulator which is realized by slightly changing the phase inverter LUFET configuration is presented. This modulator is also a LUFET. A signal path switch with a configuration of symmetrically combined magic T LUFETs is presented. A circulator which is a combination of in-phase and out-of-phase divider and combiner LUFETs is presented. The areas of the fabricated LUFETs and LUFET MMICs are between 0.1 and 1.5 mm², the average being about 0.5 mm²      

500-Mb/s nonprecharged data bus for high-speed DRAM's

A nonprecharged data-bus scheme to enhance the intrinsic read data rate of DRAM cores is proposed. Eliminating the precharge cycle of the DRAM data bus can reduce the unit bit time. A differential partial response detection data-bus amplifier is also employed to detect signals on the nonprecharged data bus that are degraded by large intersymbol interference. To enhance the read operation further, column selections are overlapped by interleaved column decoders. To increase the operating margin of the nonprecharged data-bus read, a skew-controlled column-selection pulse generator was developed. An isolated sense-amplifier scheme increases the write data rate of the DRAM core. To verify these schemes, a 4-Mb DRAM was fabricated via 0.24-μm DRAM technology. These schemes realized a 500-Mb/s per data-bus read operation and a 100-Mb/s per data-bus write operation without an area penalty     

Growth inhibition of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood by tabletop dry ice cooler

Tabletop dry ice coolers (three types; dome model, cap model and tripod model), which are used in kitchens and hotel banquet halls to refrigerate fresh seafood, were investigated to determine whether growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was inhibited by their use. On TSA plates containing 1.8% NaCl and fresh seafood (fillets of squid, pink shrimp and yellowtail), V. parahaemolyticus (O3:K6, TDH+) inoculated at 4 to 5 log CFU/sample and left at ambient temperature (25 degrees C) grew by 1.0 to 2.8 orders in 4 hours. In contrast, with tabletop coolers no significant increase in viable count occurred in 3 to 4 hours, confirming that tabletop coolers inhibited the growth of V. parahaemolyticus. The temperature in each tabletop cooler was kept below 10 degrees C for 80 to 135 min, though the CO2 gas concentration in them remained high for only a short time (0 to 75 min). It was presumed that the refrigeration function mainly contributed to growth inhibition. Our results indicate that tabletop dry ice coolers are helpful for prevention of food-borne disease due to V. parahaemolyticus in food-service locations, such as kitchens and banquet halls.     

Evaluation of sorbitol-salicin MacConkey medium containing cefixime and tellurite (CT-SSMAC medium) for isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from raw vegetables

The utility of CT-SSMAC medium (sorbitol-salicin MacConkey medium containing cefixime and tellurite) for the isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from raw vegetables was investigated. The colonies of all E. coli O157:H7 and O157:NM strains tested were colorless and beta-galactosidase-positive on CT-SSMAC medium. Furthermore, the number of colorless colonies on the CT-SSMAC medium was less than that on the sorbitol MacConkey medium containing cefixime and tellurite (CT-SMAC medium) from several raw vegetable samples. All colorless colonies grown on CT-SSMAC medium from raw vegetable samples were beta-galactosidase-negative. These findings suggest that the CT-SSMAC medium is useful for the isolation of E. coli O157:H7 from raw vegetable samples.     

Rapid increase in plasma nitrite concentration following intravenous administration of nipradilol

The microscopical and immunohistochemical features of a rare cutaneous leiomyoma in a cat are described. The principal characteristics of this tumour were multiple bundles of smooth muscle, either discrete or conjoined, with numerous collagen fibres between the muscle cells, and osteoid metaplasia. The tumour was designated a piloleiomyoma as it was considered to have arisen from the arrector pili muscles.     

Slot-coupled directional couplers between double-sided substratemicrostrip lines and their applications

A slot-coupled microstrip directional coupler and its application to a planar multiport directional coupler (MDC) are described. This coupler can be applied to both loose coupling (e.g. 10 dB) and tight coupling (e.g. 3 dB). A four-port planar MDC fabricated by combining these couplers is described. Measured and calculated results are in agreement for both couplers     

Preventing Thin Film Dewetting via Graphene Capping

A monolayer 2D capping layer with high Young's modulus is shown to be able to effectively suppress the dewetting of underlying thin films of small organic semiconductor molecule, polymer, and polycrystalline metal, respectively. To verify the universality of this capping layer approach, the dewetting experiments are performed for single‐layer graphene transferred onto polystyrene (PS), semiconducting thienoazacoronene (EH‐TAC), gold, and also MoS₂ on PS. Thermodynamic modeling indicates that the exceptionally high Young's modulus and surface conformity of 2D capping layers such as graphene and MoS₂ substantially suppress surface fluctuations and thus dewetting. As long as the uncovered area is smaller than the fluctuation wavelength of the thin film in a dewetting process via spinodal decomposition, the dewetting should be suppressed. The 2D monolayer‐capping approach opens up exciting new possibilities to enhance the thermal stability and expands the processing parameters for thin film materials without significantly altering their physical properties.