A case of interstitial pneumonia induced by an ACE inhibitor (temocapril hydrochloride)]

A 51-year-old woman who had been treated for years for rheumatoid arthritis presented with a persistent dry cough and shortness of breath three weeks after administration of the ACE inhibitor temocapril hydrochloride against essential hypertension. Chest radiography and computed tomography showed diffuse reticular shadows and ground-grass opacities in both lung fields. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis showed an increase of lymphocytes and CD8+ T cells (93.3% of lymphocytes), and a decrease of the CD4/8 ratio of the T cell subset (0.04). Histopathological analysis of trans-bronchial lung biopsy specimens showed infiltration of lymphocytes into the alveolar septa and exudation of alveolar macrophages, signs characteristic of interstitial pneumonia. A drug lymphocyte stimulation test was positive for temocapril, but negative for other drugs. On the basis of these findings, we diagnosed temocapril hydrochloride-induced interstitial pneumonia.     

The separation of fission-product rare elements toward bridging the nuclear and soft energy systems

Based on the present state of the art of the separation technology, recycling of fission-product rare elements (FRE) in the FBR spent fuel is discussed. The rad.-waste fractionation is in accordance with the present society's trend toward zero-emission, and the mean of salt-free method utilizing electrochemistry agrees with the principles of the newly established green chemistry. A catalytic electrolytic extraction method is proposed to separate the target, radioactive but potentially strategic elements, Pd, Ru, Rh, Re (Tc), Te and Se dissolved in the HLLW. It avoids secondary waste arising. This method is particularly feasible for the separation of Pd where cyclic reaction of metal cations such as Pd(II) or Fe(II), acting as promoters or mediators and already contained in HLLW, accelerates the electrochemical deposition of Ru, Rh and Re. Elemental separation not only offers alternative material resources to meet expanding demands for catalysts in Fuel Cell/Soft Energy system but is also the first step for transmutation or other selective strategies for waste management of long-lived fission products (LLFP).     

Electron microscopic visualization of collagen aggregates without chemical staining.

Lateral, uni-directional aggregates of collagen, segment-long-spacing crystallites (SLS), were made by dialyzing collagen solutions against acetic acid containing ATP, and were examined by transmission electron microscopes without electron staining. There detected were at least 20 dark (electron dense) cross-striations within SLS. The banding pattern was compared with the biochemical and biophysical properties of the amino acid side chains along the collagen molecule. The banding pattern of unstained SLS was mostly correlated with the intramolecular distribution of basic amino acid residues. Since basic amino acids have relatively large side chains, the distribution of mass (molecular weight of amino acids) along the molecule (local density profile) partially explained the cross-striation. Addition of fractions of molecular weight of ATP to basic residues made the local density profile much better correlate to the banding pattern. We conclude that the electron microscopic banding pattern of unstained SLS was generated by the local amount of material or local density profile along the collagen aggregates, which was enhanced by ATP bound to positively charged basic residues. The concept that the electron density correlates with the amount of material is fundamental in electron microscopy, and it has been proven with biological materials in this paper.     

Observing the Stimulated Raman Gain Spectra of Solutions Using an Infrared Pump Pulse with Narrow Linewidth and a Low-Noise CW Probe Laser

Stimulated Raman gain (SRG) spectroscopy using infrared pump pulses with narrow linewidth and a low-noise cw probe infrared laser was proposed. High-resolution Raman spectra of solutions were obtained. The SRG spectra of crystal GaP, benzene, and toluene were measured to confirm the spectral resolution and sensitivity over the terahertz (THz) region. We discuss the polarization dependence of the spectral measurement of carbon tetrachloride. Our system can detect organic molecules in aqueous solutions.     

Correlation between the hot plate ignition test and other laboratory-scale flammability tests on rubber conveyor belts with fabric skeletons

The hot plate ignition test was conducted on ten different conveyor rubber belts with fabric skeletons. In this test, a 25 × 25 mm² belt sample was placed on a stainless steel plate in an electric furnace and heated. The ‘ignition temperature’ was determined on each sample in almost the same way as proposed in Canada. The test results were compared with those from other laboratory-scale flammability tests (i.e. the small-scale flame tests, the Oxygen Index test and the laboratory-scale gallery test). The calculated results of both sample and rank correlation coefficients imply that the ‘10 signition temperature’ in this hot plate ignition test has a correlation with the results from both the Oxygen Index test and the laboratory-scale gallery test, but that it has very little or no correlation with those from the small-scale flame tests. On the other hand, it is found that the ‘60 s ignition temperature’ in this test has a far better correlation both with the results from the small-scale flame tests and with the time to ignition in the laboratory-scale gallery test than the ‘10 s ignition temperature’.     

99Tcm-MAG3: a sensitive indicator for evaluating perfusion and rejection of renal transplants

Radionuclide renography has a role in evaluating perfusion of transplanted kidneys. In the course of rejection, cortical perfusion decreases before urinary excretion changes. Based on the facts that 99Tcm-MAG3 has different pharmacokinetics and shows a higher kidney-to-background count ratio than 99Tcm-DTPA, we postulated that 99Tcm-MAG3 was a sensitive and reproducible agent to measure cortical perfusion of transplanted kidneys. To clarify the feasibility of using 99Tcm-MAG3 to measure the cortical perfusion index (CPI), sequential renography was performed using 99Tcm-DTPA and 99Tcm-MAG3 in 14 patients with stable renal transplants, who had changes in serum creatinine concentration of less than 50% between the two studies. The CPI was calculated with 99Tcm-DTPA and 99Tcm-MAG3 and these were then compared and correlated with concurrent serum creatinine concentration. The CPI with 99Tcm-MAG3 was 1.43 times that with 99Tcm-DTPA in patients with changes in serum creatinine concentration equal to or less than 20%, and regression analysis revealed that the difference in CPI was larger in patients with more severely decreased renal perfusion than in patients with normal or mildly decreased renal perfusion. This preliminary study has indicated that the CPI with 99Tcm-MAG3 is a sensitive index for detecting changes in renal function, and thus is a feasible indicator of cortical perfusion when evaluating the rejection of transplanted kidneys.     

Mesh-connected parallel computer PAX for scientific applications

Nearest-neighbor-mesh connection plus global broadcasting/control bus characterizes the architecture of the processor array PAX, that was constructed for and is now operating in many typical scientific applications. Not only these inter-processor connections, but also an MIMD structure of the machine were found effective in the particle transport problems, that require asynchronous operation.

The paper describes the bases of architecture of two recent versions of the PAX computer, their hardware and software systems, and, based on the implementation of scientific applications, the effectiveness of the PAX type architecture is presented.     

Novel Route to Propylene Carbonate: Selective Synthesis from Propylene Glycol and Carbon Dioxide

High surface area zirconium phosphate in an amorphous phase exhibits high activities for water-related reactions such as hydrolysis of ethyl acetate and esterification of acetic acid with ethanol. The zirconium phosphate is insoluble during the reaction, is recoverable by simple filtration, and can be reused at least five times without any treatment.     

A new approach to improve the high-voltage cyclic performance of Li-rich layered cathode material by electrochemical pre-treatment

Lithium-rich nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide, Li[Ni_0.17Li_0.2Co_0.07Mn_0.56]O₂, was prepared by a co-precipitation method, and its cyclic behavior at a high potential was investigated. The as-prepared material shows a rapid capacity fading in its initial several cycles when it was operated above 4.5 V, which could be significantly improved through a pre-cycling treatment. Its reversible capacity in the range of 4.8–2 V could be increased from 200 to 250 mAh g⁻¹ after 50 cycle through a stepped pre-cycling treatment.