A mesenteric liposarcoma with production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

A 77-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of pyrexia and a right retroperitoneal mass. Leukocytosis and other inflammatory findings were noted. Bone-marrow aspiration revealed hypercellularity with no malignant cells. An additional mass was detected sonographically in the pelvis. The serum concentration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was highly elevated (299 pg/ml). The tumors were removed at laparotomy, and the pelvic mass was found to arise from the ileocecal mesentery. Postoperatively, white blood cell count and serum G-CSF concentrations decreased to normal levels. The mesenteric tumor showed weakly positive immunostaining for human G-CSF, and Northern and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses detected CSF and its mRNA in the mesenteric tumor.     

Development of next generation PWR in Japan

The demand for energy in Japan is expected to increase steadily into the future, and it seems that the importance of nuclear power generation will be heightened more when the situation of our country which is not rich in energy resources is taken into account.

Furthermore, when we consider the present situation that the light water reactors have become common, recent outlook for the supply and demand for uranium resources, trends in the development of the fast breeder reactor technology, etc., the light water reactors are expected to remain dominant in the nuclear power generation of our country until at least the second half of the 21st century.

Based on such a background five PWR utilities in Japan (Hokkaido, Kansai, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Japan Atomic Power), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. have jointly started researching the Next Generation PWR which is expected to be the leading nuclear power plant taking place of APWR.     

New classification of capsular block syndrome

PURPOSE: To propose a new classification of capsular block syndrome (CBS) to improve understanding of the etiology and provide effective treatment. SETTING: Shohzankai Medical Foundation, Miyake Eye Hospital, Nagoya, and Japanese Red Cross Society, Wakayama Medical Center, Wakayama, Japan. METHODS: Three groups of eyes with CBS were reviewed: eyes originally reported and diagnosed as having CBS; eyes experiencing CBS after hydrodissection and luxation of the lens nucleus; and eyes with CBS accompanying liquefied aftercataract or capsulorhexis-related lacteocrumenasia. RESULTS: In all 3 groups, the CBS occurred in eyes with a continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC). It was characterized by accumulation of a liquefied substance within a closed chamber inside the capsular bag, formed because the lens nucleus or the posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) optic occluded the anterior capsular opening created by the CCC. Depending on the time of onset, CBS can be classified as intraoperative (CBS seen at the time of lens luxation following hydrodissection), early postoperative (original CBS), and late postoperative (CBS with liquefied aftercataract or lacteocrumenasia). The etiology of the accumulated substance and the method of treatment are different in each type. CONCLUSION: Capsular block syndrome is a complication of cataract/IOL surgery that can occur during and after surgery. Correctly identifying the type of CBS is crucial to understanding the nature and effective treatment of this disorder.     

Hereditarily elongated carotid sinus nerve in a rat colony

A specific colony of Wistar rats was found in which the common carotid artery bifurcates at an unusually caudal position, thereby the carotid sinus nerve that originates from the bifurcation is elongated. The present study was done to determine whether this elongated nerve carries baro- and chemosensations in the same manner as the carotid sinus nerve of conventional rats or of other species. In chloralose-urethane anesthetized rats of this specific colony, the afferent discharges were recorded from the elongated carotid sinus nerve in response to a phenylephrine-induced rise in blood pressure and a fall in oxygen tension, as well as an increase in carbon dioxide tension in the respiratory gas. Reflex effects of electrical stimulation of the nerve were also examined. In nerve recording, the afferent discharges of the elongated carotid sinus nerve were increased by any of the perturbations, hypertensive, hypoxic or hypercapnic. Electrical stimulation of the elongated carotid sinus nerve caused an initial rise and a subsequent fall in blood pressure, bradycardia, and an increase of respiratory volume and rate. These results confirmed that the elongated carotid sinus nerve of rats in this colony contains both baroreceptor and chemoreceptor afferent fibers. It seems that this colony of rats proffers a beneficial material which will facilitate the studies to analyze the features and reflex functions of carotid body chemoreceptors and/or carotid sinus baroreceptors.     

Three diabetic cases of acute dizziness due to initial administration of voglibose

We observed 3 diabetic patients with intolerable dizziness followed by nausea and vomiting immediately after an initial administration of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, voglibose. These symptoms did not recur after discontinuation of the drug. Adverse effects as observed in these cases have not been reported previously. Since the 3 patients were relatively old (average age, 72 years old) and had various degrees of micro- and macroangiopathies, these side effects may have been associated with increased micro- and macrocirculatory disturbances in their central nervous systems through alpha-glucosidase inhibition of this agent.     

Preparation of multiple oxide BaTiO3 fibres by the sol-gel method

Multiple oxide BaTiO₃ gel fibres were prepared by the sol-gel method from Ba(OC₂H₅)₂-Ti(O-isoC₃H₇)₄-H₂O-C₂H₅OH-CH₃COOH and Ba(CH₃COO)₂-Ti(O-isoC₃H₇)₄-H₂O-CH₃COOH solutions. Relatively long gel fibres of 10cm length were obtained from both solutions in the limited composition region. The latter solution in particular showed a spinnability even when it contained no water. Therefore, the occurrence of spinnability of the solution was considered to be due to the formation of linear polymers composed of bridging acetate groups such as TiO-C(CH₃)-O-Ti rather than metalloxane bonding as Ti-O-Ti. Addition of water to the solutions seems to break the bridging acetate bonds and replace some of them by bridging oxygen bonds. The as-drawn gel fibres which were X-ray amorphous crystallized into BaTiO₃ ceramic fibres of 5mm average length upon heating above 600 ° C. However, the gel fibres drawn from the sols without water became powdery on heating because of the lack of Ti-O-Ti metalloxane bonds. The crystallization behaviour of the BaTiO₃ gel fibres is discussed based on the infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis.     

Average-case analysis of the Modified Harmonic algorithm

In this paper we analyze the average-case performance of the Modified Harmonic algorithm for on-line bin packing. We first analyze the average-case performance for arbitrary distribution of item sizes over (0,1]. This analysis is based on the following result. Letf ₁ andf ₂ be two linear combinations of random variables {N _i } _i=1 ^k where theN _i 's have a joint multinomial distribution for eachn= _i=1 ^k ,N _i . LetE(f ₁) O andE(f ₂) 0. Then lim_n E(max(_{f 1},f ₂ ))/n = lim _n max(E(f ₁),E(f ₂))/n. We then consider the special case when the item sizes are uniformly distributed over (0,1]. For specific values of the parameters, the Modified Harmonic algorithm turns out to be better than the other two linear-time on-line algorithms—Next Fit and Harmonic—in both the worst case as well as the average case. We also obtain optimal values for the parameters of the algorithm from the average-case standpoint. For these values of the parameters, the average-case performance ratio is less than 1.19. This compares well with the performance ratios 1.333. and 1.2865. of the Next Fit algorithm and the Harmonic algorithm, respectively.     

Average-case analysis of the Modified Harmonic algorithm

In this paper we analyze the average-case performance of the Modified Harmonic algorithm for on-line bin packing. We first analyze the average-case performance for arbitrary distribution of item sizes over (0,1]. This analysis is based on the following result. Letf ₁ andf ₂ be two linear combinations of random variables {N _i } _i=1 ^k where theN _i 's have a joint multinomial distribution for eachn=σ _i=1 ^k ,N _i . LetE(f ₁) ≠ O andE(f ₂)≠ 0. Then lim_{n →}∞E(max(_{f 1},f ₂ ))/n = lim _n →∞ max(E(f ₁),E(f ₂))/n. We then consider the special case when the item sizes are uniformly distributed over (0,1]. For specific values of the parameters, the Modified Harmonic algorithm turns out to be better than the other two linear-time on-line algorithms—Next Fit and Harmonic—in both the worst case as well as the average case. We also obtain optimal values for the parameters of the algorithm from the average-case standpoint. For these values of the parameters, the average-case performance ratio is less than 1.19. This compares well with the performance ratios 1.333. and 1.2865. of the Next Fit algorithm and the Harmonic algorithm, respectively.     

Microstructural investigation and indentation response of pressureless-sintered α- and β-SiC

The microstructure and indentation response of pressureless-sintered - and -SiC were studied using a high-resolution electron microscope and analytical electron microscopy. The materials were manufactured with boron and carbon as sintering aids. It was found that the overall porosity of the materials was very low but a large number of carbon inclusions were present. X-ray diffraction revealed the fabricated -SiC material was of the same 3C polytype as the initial starting powder; however, electron microscope observations indicated that the material contained a high density of faulting of the -forms. High-resolution imaging of grain boundaries in these materials indicated that the boundaries were very clean, and when they contained an amorphous intergranular film it was at most 0.5 to 1 nm thick. The presence of boron was not detected. Deformation due to identation took several forms. Firstly, radial cracks extending from the corners of the indent suffered little hindrance from the matrix microstructure, such that transgranular fracture was the dominant mode. Secondly, the deformation zone beneath the indentations showed copious lattice microcracks with some preferred orientation during crack formation and propagation.