Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in domestic milk in Japan during the winter season

A total of 208 samples of commercial pasteurized milk gathered from retail outlets across Japan during the winter season were analysed for aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁). Japan was divided into 11 regions from north to south, and nine to 45 milk samples from each region were randomly purchased between December 2001 and February 2002. Each milk sample was cleaned up by an immunoaffinity column, and AFM₁ was quantified by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection in four independent laboratories. The limit of detection of the method was 0.001 μg kg^-1. The identity of the putative AFM₁ in milk sample was confirmed by the formation of AFM₁ hemi-acetal with trifluoroacetic acid. Based on the results obtained with spiked samples (0.05 μg AFM₁ kg^-1), the mean recovery was 91.4%, the relative standard deviation for repeatability was 4.6%, and the relative standard deviation for reproducibility was 8.0% among four independent laboratories. AFM₁ was detected in 207 (99.5%) of 208 milk samples at 0.001-0.029 μg kg^-1, with a mean of 0.009 μg kg^-1 and a 90th percentile of 0.014 μg kg^-1. No significant difference of the level of AFM₁ contamination was observed among the regions.     

Genetic analysis of noroviruses taken from gastroenteritis patients, river water and oysters.

As oysters are eaten raw in Japan, their contamination with the non-bacterial agent of gastroenteritis has become a serious health problem. As it is well known that oysters tend to concentrate noroviruses (NV) in their digestive diverticula, NV may be linked with the acute gastroenteritis. However, since NV cannot be cultivated in cell cultures, and they have genetic diversity, the behaviour of NV in the aquatic environment is little known. In this study, NV samples were taken from gastroenteritis patients; from the river flowing into the oyster-farming area; and from oysters harvested from that river. Genetic identities of NV samples were analysed in capsid and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) regions respectively. In both regions, strains taken from patients were >96% identical with those from river and oyster samples. This proved that oysters were contaminated with NV excreted from patients with gastroenteritis.     

Semiquantitative analysis of the thermal degradation of polypropylene

The pyrolysis product distributions of polypropylene (PP) were observed, and the experimental data were semiquantitatively analyzed by computer simulation with the Molic mouse method. Studies by many researchers on PP decomposition and experimental results achieved in this study were examined. The product distributions were classified into three types of hydrocarbon products: 3n, 3n + 1, and 3n + 2 (n = monomer unit). The ratio showed the characteristic tendency, and the thermal degradation of PP appeared to include very complicated scission paths. The Molic mouse method, which was applied to the analysis of the thermal rearrangement and decomposition of poly(phenylene ether), was used to simulate the experimental results. After several steps by which the proper model was constructed, the scission probabilities to generate 2 × 3n, 3n + 1 and 3n + 2, 3n and 3n + 1, 3n and 3n + 2, C9, and C15 hydrocarbons were successfully calculated to be 0.25, 0.67, 0.47, 0.35, 1.0, and 0.33, respectively. This meant that the scission process of PP was very simple except for the C9 and C15 generation paths, for which the cyclic compounds were stable intermediates. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1465–1472, 2003     

Successful management of a giant spinal arteriovenous malformation with multiple communications between primitive arterial and venous structures by embolization: report of a case

A 47-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a giant spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) causing heart failure and thoracic myelopathy. Angiography revealed that the spinal AVM had multiple feeding vessels branching from the 5th through 12th intercostal arteries. The drainage vein flowed to the azygos vein and superior vena cava. The AVM destroyed the 7th thoracic vertebra. The cardiac output was 16.7l/min and the shunt ratio was 64% before treatment. Embolization with cyanoacrylate was performed because the operation was considered to be associated with a significant risk of paraplegia and organ ischemia. The cardiac output decreased to 11.6l/min and the shunt ratio was reduced to 32%. After embolization the patient demonstrated no symptoms of either heart failure or sensory deficits. During embolization, provocative tests using sodium amytal and lidocaine with magnetic stimulation were also performed. The above findings suggest that provocative tests and magnetic stimulation are useful to predict paraplegia, which could result from embolization while, in addition, embolization is considered to be a useful treatment for multiple shunt and nidus in this region.     

A comparison of CORVITA and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular grafts implanted in the abdominal aortas of dogs

The utility of CORVITA vascular grafts, composed of an inner layer of meshed polyurethane fibers and an outer layer of meshed Dacron reinforcement, for replacement of the abdominal aorta was assessed in a canine model and compared with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts. CORVITA or ePTFE vascular grafts were implanted and left in place for 3 or 6 months. After removal, they were inspected macroscopically and histologically. Microspectrophotometry was used to quantify smooth muscle cells (SMCs), elastin (EL), and collagen (CL) in the media of the native artery. The patency rate of the CORVITA grafts after 6 months was 100%, whereas that of the ePTFE grafts was only 50%. Moreover, stenoses were apparent in all of the ePTFE grafts, but in only 43% of the CORVITA grafts. The intimal thickness at the distal anastomosis was significantly greater at 3 months in the ePTFE grafts (P < 0.01), and there were significantly more SMCs in the host arterial media at the proximal and distal anastomoses in these grafts. Thus, better long-term patency can be expected with CORVITA grafts than with ePTFE grafts. This conferred advantage is most likely attributable to the less pronounced intimal hyperplasia which results from the proliferation of SMCs in the media of the native artery.     

Position control for ultrasonic motors using backstepping control and dead‐zone compensation with fuzzy inference

The ultrasonic motor has comparatively high nonlinearity which varies with driving conditions, and possesses a variable dead zone in control input associated with the applied load torque. The dead zone is a problem for industrial applications and it is important to eliminate the dead zone in order to improve control performance. This paper proposes a new position control scheme for ultrasonic motors to overcome the dead zone. The dead zone is compensated by fuzzy inference, and backstepping control performs accurate position control. Compared with model reference adaptive control, which uses an augmented error, backstepping control can analyze a transient response. Mathematical models are formulated and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed position control scheme. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 149(1): 69–77, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20016     

Development of active‐matrix electronic‐ink displays for handheld devices

Abstract— Interest in the use of electrophoretic displays for smart handheld applications has grown tremendously over the past few years. Since the launch of the Philips and E Ink joint development effort in February 2001, material parameters, TFT backplane, electronic hardware and software and modulization skills have been developed to make this promising display concept into a real product. The first commercial launch of active‐matrix electronic‐ink display modules is planned for mid 2004.     

Widowhood and illness: A comparison of social network characteristics in France, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

This study examined social network characteristics of adults aged 70 to 90 years in relation to widowhood and illness in France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Participants were drawn from representative samples from each of the 4 countries (total N?=?1,331). Resource deficit profiles based on whether respondents were widowed, ill, both, or neither were directly related to social network characteristics for German and Japanese adults, were differentially related by gender and age for French adults, and were not related to social networks of Americans. Country, gender, and age differences in total network size, proportion of close network members, and frequency of contact with network members are reported. Similarities and differences found in the associations between normative late-life deficits and social network characteristics in the 4 countries point to the importance of investigating sociocultural factors that mediate the impact of resource loss and afford life quality in very old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)