Simultaneous quantitation of ceramides and 1,2-diacylglycerol in tissues by Iatroscan thin-layer chromatography-flame-ionization detection

Tubo-ovarian actinomycosis was observed after chemotherapy for breast cancer in a patient with an intrauterine device. Does chemotherapy increase the risk? How can it be prevented?     

Three-dimensional modeling of removal torque and fracture progression around implants

In the present study, a model for simulations of removal torque experiments was developed using finite element method. The interfacial retention and fracturing of the surrounding material caused by the surface features during torque was analyzed. It was hypothesized that the progression of removal torque and the phases identified in the torque response plot represents sequential fractures at the interface. The 3-dimensional finite element model fairly accurately predicts the torque required to break the fixation of acid-etched implants, and also provides insight to how sequential fractures progress downwards along the implant side.     

Estimating the imageability of words by mining visual characteristics from crawled image data

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Natural Language Processing and multi-modal analyses are key elements in many applications. However, the semantic gap is an everlasting problem, leading to...     

Miscibility in binary blends of aromatic and alicyclic polyamides

Miscibility was studied for four polyamide blends of 6I/6T [copolymer consisting of 1,6‐hexamethylene diamine and isophthalic acid (6I) (70 wt %) and terephthalic acid (6T) (30 wt %)] with MXD6 (polyamide of m‐xylenediamine and adipic acid), BAC6 (polyamide of 1,3‐bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane and adipic acid), TR55 (copolymer consisting of nylon 11 (30 wt %), and polyamide of bis(3‐methyl, 4‐aminocyclohexyl)methane (30 wt %) and isophthalic acid (70 wt %), and CX7323 (polyamide of bis(4‐aminocyclohexyl)methane and dodecanedicarboxylic acid), using differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction method, and electronmicroscopic observation. In quenched MXD6/(6I/6T) and BAC6/(6I/6T) blends, MXD6 and BAC6 components were miscible to 6I/6T, but TR55 and CX7323 components were completely phase‐separated from 6I/6T. Interestingly on electronmicroscopic observations, TR55 and CX7323 components were seen as droplets in 6I/6T medium when the content is low, but when 50 wt %, a layered structure was constructed with 6I/6T, reminiscent of morphological structure in block copolymer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3971–3978, 2006     

Reduced blood flow in abdominal viscera measured by Doppler ultrasound during one-legged knee extension

The redistribution of blood flow (BF) in the abdominal viscera during right-legged knee extension-flexion exercise at very low intensity [peak heart rate (HR), 76 beats/min] was examined by using Doppler ultrasound. While sitting, subjects performed a right-legged knee extension-flexion exercise every 6 s for 20 min. BF was measured in the upper abdominal aorta (Ao), right common femoral artery (RCFA), and left common femoral artery (LCFA). Visceral BF (BFVis) was determined by the equation [BFAo - (BFRCFA + BFLCFA)]. A comparison with the change in BF (DeltaBF) preexercise showed a greater increase in DeltaBFRCFA than in DeltaBFAo during exercise. This resulted in a reduction of BFVis to 56% of its preexercise value or a decrease in flow by 1,147 +/- 293 (+/-SE) ml/min at the peak workload. Oxygen consumption correlated positively with DeltaBFAo, DeltaBFRCFA, and DeltaBFLCFA but inversely with DeltaBFVis during exercise and recovery. Furthermore, BFVis (% of preexercise value) correlated inversely with both an increase in HR (r = -0.89), and percent peak oxygen consumption (r = -0.99). This study demonstrated that, even during very-low-intensity exercise (HR <90 beats/min), there was a significant shift in BF from the viscera to the exercising muscles.     

Tribological properties of Si-containing diamond-like carbon film under ATF lubricated condition

Recent years have seen a rise in social needs regarding safety and the environment, and this has placed increasing importance on product development for automotive parts that leads to smaller sizes, higher capacity, and lower costs. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating technology is being focused on as an effective solution to such issues.This paper reports on the tribological properties of a Si-containing diamond-like carbon film under an automatic transmission fluid (ATF) lubricated condition, which dramatically improves the performance of an electromagnetic clutch used in electronically controlled All-wheel-drive (AWD) coupling. The Si-containing DLC film maintains its rough sliding surface while simultaneously exhibiting extremely low aggression against mating materials. Thus, the boundary lubrication state of the initial friction stage is maintained, while also displaying a positive μ–v slope with excellent anti-shudder performance and a satisfactory friction coefficient as demanded by the drive train.Based on time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) of sliding surfaces, it was speculated that the mechanism behind the good tribological properties of a sliding material coated with Si-containing DLC film under fluid lubrication are in part connected to the material properties of the DLC-Si film and an adsorbate such as a succinimide-based dispersant.     

Production of high-purity medical radio isotope 64Cu with accelerator-based neutrons generated with 9 and 12 MeV deuterons

We conducted a feasibility study for producing a high-purity medical radioisotope ⁶⁴Cu from natural zinc with accelerator-based neutrons. ⁶⁴Cu isotopes were produced via the ⁶⁴Zn(n,p) reaction. The accelerator-based neutrons were generated via the C(d,n) reaction using low-energy deuterons of 9 and 12 MeV on a 1-mm-thick carbon target. First, the production purity was estimated using the evaluated nuclear data library JENDL-4.0 and our previously measured thick target neutron yield. We found that even when natural zinc was used as the starting material, significantly high-purity ⁶⁴Cu could be obtained. Next, irradiation experiments for producing ⁶⁴Cu using natural zinc were conducted at Kyushu University Tandem Laboratory, with the amounts of ⁶⁴Cu isotopes and other gamma-emission nuclides measured by a high-purity germanium detector. As a result, high-purity ⁶⁴Cu isotopes of 1.11(49) × 10⁰ and 3.70 (17) × 10⁰ Bq/g/μC were produced with incident deuteron energies of 9 and 12 MeV, respectively.     

Cloning and sequencing of the deacetylase gene from Vibrio alginolyticus H-8

A gene encoding deacetylase DA1 that is specific for N, N'-diacetylchitobiose was cloned using the shot-gun method with pUC118 and sequenced. The open reading frame encoded a protein of 427 amino acids including the signal peptide. The molecular mass of the mature enzyme estimated from the amino acid sequence data was 44.7 kDa, which is approximately similar to that, estimated by SDS-PAGE (48.0 kDa), of the purified enzyme reported previously. The N-terminal amino acid sequence deduced from the cloned deacetylase gene showed partial sequence homology with the Nod B protein from Rhizobium sp. (37% identity) and chitin deacetylase from Mucor rouxii (28%). It contained a domain, which showed homology with a chitin-binding domain of chitinase A from Bacillus circulans (39%).