Correction of the hypoplastic nasal ala using an auricular composite graft

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated if women with experience of casual travel sex, with a previously unknown man abroad, on different types of journeys (charter, vagabond, business and education trips), differ with regard to sexual risk behavior and history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). STUDY DESIGN: The study population consisted of 996 women. Of these, 27.7% admitted that they had had casual sex during journeys. The remaining women were used as a comparison group. History of STDs and sexual risk behaviors were investigated. RESULTS: The frequency of women who had more than ten lifetime sexual partners were greatly increased in all groups, as compared to the controls. A history of gonorrhea was most frequent among the charter travellers. A history of genital chlamydial infection was most common among the vagabond travellers. The lowest frequencies of a history of STDs was observed in women engaging in casual sex on 'business' journeys and they had significantly less often a history of STDs as compared to the charter travellers. A high frequency of STDs were seen in women who had experience of casual sex on different types of journeys. CONCLUSION: Women on business trips, although they had a similar sexual risk behaviour as the other groups of travellers, had less often a history of STDs.     

Application of real-time PCR assays to genotyping of F-specific phages in river water and sediments in Japan

Genotyping of F-specific RNA phages is currently one of the most promising approaches to differentiate between human and animal fecal contamination in aquatic environments. In this study, a total of 18 river water and sediment samples were collected from the Tonegawa River basin, Japan, in order to describe the genogroup distribution of F-specific RNA and DNA phages using genogroup-specific real-time PCR assays. F-specific phages were detected in nine (100%) river water and six (67%) sediment samples. Eighty-five phage plaques were isolated from these samples and subjected to real-time PCR assays specific for the phages. F-specific RNA phages of human genogroups (II and III) were detected in 32 (38%) plaques, whereas those of animal genogroups (I and IV) were detected in 17 (20%) plaques. No correlation was observed between the genogroup distribution of F-specific RNA phages and the occurrence of human adenovirus genomes, suggesting that genotyping of the phages alone is inadequate for the evaluation of the occurrence of viruses in aquatic environments. SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay revealed the presence of F-specific DNA phages in four (5%) plaques, which were further classified into two genogroups (fd- and f1-like phages) by sequence analysis. Thirty-two (38%) plaques were not classified as the F-specific phage genogroups, indicating the limited applicability of these real-time PCR assays to a wide range of aquatic environmental samples worldwide.     

Epithelial Cell Transformation and Senescence as Indicators of Genome Aging: Current Advances and Unanswered Questions

The recent advances in deciphering the human genome allow us to understand and evaluate the mechanisms of human genome age-associated transformations, which are largely unclear. Genome sequencing techniques assure comprehensive mapping of human genetics; however, understanding of gene functional interactions, specifically of time/age-dependent modifications, remain challenging. The age of the genome is defined by the sum of individual (inherited) and acquired genomic traits, based on internal and external factors that impact ontogenesis from the moment of egg fertilization and embryonic development. The biological part of genomic age opens a new perspective for intervention. The discovery of single cell-based mechanisms for genetic change indicates the possibility of influencing aging and associated disease burden, as well as metabolism. Cell populations with transformed genetic background were shown to serve as the origin of common diseases during extended life expectancy (superaging). Consequently, age-related cell transformation leads to cancer and cell degeneration (senescence). This article aims to describe current advances in the genomic mechanisms of senescence and its role in the spatiotemporal spread of epithelial clones and cell evolution.     

Identification of plant model of linear induction motors for a traction system intended for use in a high‐performance controller

A linear induction motor (LIM) is suitable for use in trains. The motor can be used in both wheel‐suspended and contact‐less types such as the Linear Metro and HSST trains in Japan. The LIM has end winding as well as asymmetrical winding. The end effect is a major problem in the LIM, and it makes the analysis, design, and control of motors difficult. This paper describes a method that combines numerical analysis and the equivalent circuit for the LIM in order to design a high‐performance controller for the LIM that includes the end effect. A sample basic field‐oriented control scheme that is based on the plant model is applied to the LIM in order to check the control performance. The theory of rotary induction motors is used for verification. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 179(2): 44–54, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21171     

Design of a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid flow cell for x-ray absorption fine structure measurements under catalytic reaction conditions

The design and performance of a new high-pressure and high-temperature cell for measurement of x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra of solid catalysts working in a flowing liquid are presented. The cell has flat, high-purity sintered cubic boron nitride (c-BN) windows which can tolerate high temperature (900 K) and high pressure (10 MPa). The c-BN is a new material which has the highest tensile strength, second only to diamond, and is also chemically and thermally stable. The use of the cell is demonstrated for measurements of PtPdAl(2)O(3) and Ni(2)PSiO(2) hydrodesulfurization catalysts at reaction conditions. A technique called delta chi (Deltachi), involving determining the difference between XAFS spectra of the sample at reaction conditions and the bare sample, is introduced.     

Effects of the aluminum concentration on twin boundary motion in pre-strained magnesium alloys

We investigated the effects of Al concentration on the reciprocated motion of twin boundaries in pre-strained Mg-Al-Zn alloys through a combination of applied compression and tension,in-situ electron-backscattering diffraction observations,and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy observations.The twin growth was restricted by increased Al concentration,which resulted in the occurrence of smaller-sized twins.The reverse motion of twin boundaries was also restricted,resulting in the formation of higher fractions of secondary twins and 2-5° boundaries during reverse tension.The secondary twins and 2-5° boundaries mainly contributed to the increased ultimate tensile strength of the pre-strained Mg alloys.This effect is more significant in Mg alloys with larger pre-compression.Moreover,the increased amount of the Al solute atoms,rather than the precipitates,mainly contributed to the increased strengthening effect on the twin boundary motion.Our research contributes to development of high-strength Mg alloys by stabilizing twin boundaries.     

One-year monthly monitoring of Torque teno virus (TTV) in wastewater treatment plants in Japan

Torque teno virus (TTV) is a novel hepatitis virus which is considered to be transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Wastewater samples were collected monthly from eight wastewater treatment plants in Japan for 1 year, from July 2003 to June 2004, and tested for the presence of TTV by TaqMan PCR. TTV was detected in 97% (93/96) of influent samples, implying that TTV is epidemic in Japan. TTV was also isolated in 18% (17/96) of secondary effluent samples before chlorination and in 24% (23/95) of final effluent samples after chlorination. There was no significant difference between the concentration of total coliform in TTV-positive final effluents and that in TTV-negative final effluents, which indicates that total coliform cannot be used as an indicator of TTV. No TTV was detected in 24 effluents for reuse from two wastewater treatment plants using sand filtration and ozonation.     

Dose and dose-rate dependence of mutation frequency under long-term exposure – a new look at DDREF from WAM model

We have investigated the dependence of the mutation frequency on the dose and dose rate of artificial radiation using the Whack-A-Mole (WAM) model that we recently proposed. In particular, we pay special attention to the case of long-term and low-dose-rate exposure. Our results indicate that the WAM model successfully describes the dose-rate dependence, and it can replace the so-called dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor (DDREF), which has been used for long, to account for the differences between high-dose-rate and low-dose-rate data. The basic properties of the WAM model are discussed with special emphasis on the dose-rate dependence in order to demonstrate how the dose-rate dependence, which is built into the model explicitly, plays a key role. Biological effects of long-term exposure to extremely low-dose-rate radiation are discussed in light of analysis of mega-mouse experiments using the WAM model. In the WAM model, the effects of long-term exposure show a saturation property, thus making it distinctly different from the ‘linear no threshold (LNT)’ hypothesis that predicts a linear increase of the effects with time.     

Rheological flow models of banana peel pectin jellies as affected by sugar concentration

In the present study, peel pectin jellies (PPJ) were isolated from banana peel Musa acuminata Colla (AAA, cv ‘Berangan’) varieties using water bath extraction; five jellies were produced, namely, PPJ_68%, PPJ_70%, PPJ_71%, PPJ_72%, and PPJ_76%. The effect of sugar content on the rheology of the PPJ and commercial fruit jelly was conducted at 25°C within 0.05–100 s^?1 shear rate. Flow behaviour was evaluated on the test dispersions while frequency sweeps (E_a) to obtain the viscoelastic (G’ and G”) were performed on the jellies. PPJ dispersion showed shear thinning flow behaviour, a good fit to the Casson model. Sugar concentration does not affect Casson parameters (K_c, K_oc, ?_ca, and σ_oc). Frequency sweep decreased as viscosity increased which revealed high dependence for both G’ and G”. Tan δ for PPJ was more than unity which showed that jelly has less elastic properties. PPJ with the lowest sugar concentration, PPJ_68%, conducted at a high shear rate showed it was compatible with validation of the Cox–Merz rule.