Maternal exposure to nanoparticulate titanium dioxide during the prenatal period alters gene expression related to brain development in the mouse

Background  

Nanotechnology is developing rapidly throughout the world and the production of novel man-made nanoparticles is increasing, it is therefore of concern that nanomaterials have the potential to affect human health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to nano-sized anatase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) on gene expression in the brain during the developmental period using cDNA microarray analysis combined with Gene Ontology (GO) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms information.     

Effects of conjugated estrogens with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate on mammary carcinogenesis, uterine adenomyosis and femur in mice

The Authors report their experience in the treatment of twenty-one patients with intussusception operated in the Paediatric Surgery Division ASL FG/3 between January 1988 and December 1994. Eighty-nine percent of the patients were between 2 and 12 months of age, with a peak between 2 and 6 months (60%). Ultrasound allowed to identify the pathological picture in forty-two percent of the cases and diagnosis was confirmed by barium enema. In 8 patients a pathology more or less responsible of the intussusception or associated with it was detected. The time between the onset of symptoms and admission as well as the relation between intestinal resection and duration of symptomatology were analyzed. The resection rate was maximal (55%) in those patients presenting symptoms beyond 25 hours. Intestinal resection was performed in 9 patients (47%): 6 ileo-colic; 1 ileo-colic resection extended to the splenic flexure; and 2 ileo-ileal ones. In this series no postoperative complications or recurrences or deaths were registered. Long term results proved that ileo-colic resection, even in few-months old infants, is well tolerated.     

riction welding of aluminium and plain low carbon steel

Synopsis

The effect of vanadium, in the range 5 to 1000 ppm, on the microstructure and properties of manual metal arc welds containing 0.6 to 1.8 % Mn has been investigated. It was found that vanadium increased the acicularity of as‐deposited metal and modified the grain size and the microphases in reheated regions. The hardness of the weldments increased and the tensile properties were defined by equations of the form:

σ =a+b.Mn+c.V‐d.V²

In the as‐welded condition vanadium was found, in some instances, to be marginally beneficial for notch toughness whereas after stress‐relieving the element had a progressively deleterious effect at all manganese levels. On balance, it is concluded, for the associated titanium content, that up to 200 ppm V can be tolerated without undue concern.     

Effects of filtration through bleaching media on thiobarbituric acid and carbonyl values of autoxidized soybean oil

Effects of filtration bleaching on thiobarbituric acid values (TAV) and carbonyl values (CV) of autoxidized soybean oil were investigated by using sixteen kinds of bleaching media in order to improve oil quality. The standard activated clay was the most effective in reducing the amounts of aldehydes and ketones in autoxidized soybean oil. From the decreases in TVA and CV and physical and chemical properties of media, it was concluded that decreases of TAV and CV are mainly dominated by the acidity over the highest range, +1.5∼−5.6, rather than the acidity over the lower acid strength ranges, total acidity or specific surface area of media. From the results of chemical composition and acidity over the highest range (+1.5∼−5.6) of the clays and TAV or CV reduction by using the heattreated clays, it was suggested that the acidity over the highest range originated from the water contained between layers and bound water in the clay.     

Improved discharge characteristics using MgO single‐crystal particles and advanced CEL structure

Abstract— Pioneer Corporation introduced plasma‐display‐panel (PDP) TVs in 2005, which achieved the highest dark‐room contrast ratio of 4000:1 at the time. These PDPs had a novel discharge cell structure consisting of a crystal emissive layer (CEL) on a MgO protective thin film. This cell structure is refered to as a CEL structure. Magnesium‐oxide single‐crystal particles, which have a unique luminance peak around 230–250 nm and a good exo‐electron‐emission property, were found to be an excellent material for CEL and were utilized in CEL panels. In 2007, newly developed PDP TVs in which CEL was formed on a phosphor layer, in addition to the previous CEL structure, were introduced, and this discharge cell structure is refered to as advanced CEL structure. By using the new cell structure, the opposed discharge characteristics have been drastically improved, and a stable reset discharge has been realized with only a weak opposed discharge. As a result, black luminance has been drastically reduced, and a dark‐room contrast ratio of over 20,000:1, the highest ever reported, has been achieved.     

Discharge analysis of high‐efficacy PDP with a luminous efficacy of 5 lm/W

Abstract— The discharge mechanism concerning the width of the display electrodes in high‐Xe‐content gas mixtures to improve the luminous efficacy of PDPs has been researched. It was found that a luminous efficacy of 5 lm/W was realized for a high‐Xe‐content gas mixture and narrower display electrodes. For a high‐Xe‐content gas mixture, the luminous efficacy increases as the display electrode becomes narrower. This phenomenon was analyzed by observing the emission from a discharge cell. The observation data indicate that a high electron heating efficiency contributes to increased luminous efficacy along with narrow electrodes for a high‐Xe‐content gas mixture as well as high excitation efficiency.     

Compatibility between alumina fibres and aluminium

An investigation is carried out on the interfacial wetting behaviour and reactions between aluminium and alumina fibres (85mass% Al₂O₃ and 15mass% SiO₂). Aluminium is coated onto alumina fibres by a vacuum evaporation technique and the surface of the fully coated fibres and the edge of the partially coated fibres are examined by scanning electron microscope after heat treatments at various temperatures. Within a temperature regime between 943 and 1273 K, occurrence of such interfacial reactions as 4Al(I) + Al₂O₃(s) 3Al₂O₃(g) and 4Al(I) + 3SiO₂(s) 2Al₂O₃(s) + 3Si(s) are detected. It is found that molten aluminium can cover the alumina fibre surface but it peels off near the edge of the coating film on a partially coated fibre, showing the very weak interface cohesion. This is ascribed to the lack of a stable compound formation at the interface. Results of tensile test show that the strength of the coated fibres is degraded after heat-treating at above the melting point of aluminium. The culprits for the tensile failure of alumina fibres are evaluated by the Weibull distribution theory.     

Compositions of triterpene alcohols of seeds and mature plants of family cucurbitaceae

Compositions of the triterpene alcohol fractions of the unsaponifiable lipids obtained from 28 seed and mature plant [aerial parts (leaves and stems), pericarp of the fruits, and roots] of 13 genera of the family Cucurbitaceae were determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) on an OV-17 glass capillary column. Among the 14 tetracyclic and pentacyclic triterpene alcohols identified, isomultiflorenol was found to be the major component for most of the seed materials. The abundance of this triterpene suggests that it may be a taxonomical marker of the seeds of Cucurbitaceae since only a few higher plants are known to contain isomultiflorenol. The mature plant materials of the Cucurbitaceae, on the other hand, were shown to contain either one or some of the common triterpene alcohols such asα- andβ-amyrins, cycloartenol and 24-methylenecycloartanol as the major triterpene constituents.     

Local determinacy of abstract local dynamical systems

O. Hájek proved in his book Dynamical Systems in the Plane (Chapter III) that there isat most one abstract local dynamical system which is locally equivalent to, or equivalently an extension of, a given elementary dynamical system, and suggested a question of finding reasonable conditions on the latter for the existence ofat least one such abstract local dynamical system. An elementary dynamical system is said to satisfy the No-Intersection Axiom and is called an abstract germ if(x ₁, t) = (x ₂,t) impliesx ₁ =x ₂. We show that is (uniquely) extendable to an abstract local dynamical system if and only if is an abstract germ, and hence the question is completely answered. After introducing various kinds of isomorphisms of abstract germs and abstract local dynamical systems corresponding to those of continuous germs and continuous local dynamical systems, we obtain some sufficient conditions for extendability of isomorphisms and possibility of restriction of them, and thus establish the local determinacy of abstract local dynamical systems up to isomorphisms in some wider categories.Dedicated to Professor Yusuke HAGIHARA in Commemoration of His Seventy-Seventh Anniversary