Effects of vesnarinone on the bone marrow stromal cell-dependent proliferation and differentiation of HL60 cells in vitro

There is no simple and efficient method for assaying phage isolated from libraries without having to resort to PEG purification of the phage, or to the biotinylation or other labelling of the target molecule. We report here a method for producing 'bifunctional' phage that express two types of peptide; one peptide, fused to pVIII, will bind to immobilized fibrinogen, allowing capture of the phage out of culture supernatants; this allows the other peptide, fused to pIII or pVIII to be assayed by simple ELISA. This system has also been developed for the capture of phage bearing a streptavidin-binding peptide. The bifunctional phage are produced by bacterial cells bearing a plasmid that expresses pVIII fused either to the fibrinogen-binding peptide or to the streptavidin-binding one. Thus, when these cells are infected with a phage clone or pool to be assayed, phage will be produced whose 'capture-peptide' is produced from the plasmid and whose 'assay-peptide' is produced from the phage genome. We show here that, by this method, bifunctional phage can be produced that will bind to immobilized streptavidin or fibrinogen.     

TGF-beta1 influences early gingival wound healing in rats: an immunohistochemical evaluation of stromal remodelling by extracellular matrix molecules and PCNA

The effect of topically applied transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) on the rat gingival wound healing process after flap surgery was evaluated by immunohistochemistry for extracellular matrix molecules (ECM), such as tenascin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) and type IV collagen, and for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in fibroblasts. TGF-beta1 solution was applied to the surgical wound experimental sites. Two microg/microl were applied at the time of the operation, and 1 microg/microl at days 1 and 2 after surgery, with contralateral control sites receiving the vehicle alone. Periodontal tissues were histologically examined at 3 and 7 days post-surgery. Tenascin was found to be more strongly stained in the granulation tissue from experimental sites at 3 days post-surgery. At 7 days postsurgery, HSPG-positive areas in granulation tissue had become smaller and there was a prominent proliferation of PCNA-positive fibroblast-like cells and type IV collagen-positive blood vessels. These results suggest that TGF-beta1 applied to surgical wounds influences early proliferation of gingival fibroblast-like cells, the formation of blood vessels, and ECM remodelling. In conclusion, TGF-beta1 application appears to promote granulation tissue formation in periodontal wound healing.     

Assessment of clean development mechanism potential of large-scale energy efficiency measures in heavy industries

This paper assesses clean development mechanism (CDM) potential of large-scale energy efficiency measures in selected heavy industries (iron and steel, cement, aluminium, pulp and paper, and ammonia) taking India and Brazil as examples of CDM project host countries. We have chosen two criteria for identification of the CDM potential of each energy efficiency measure: (i) emission reductions volume (in CO₂e) that can be expected from the measure and (ii) likelihood of the measure passing the additionality test of the CDM Executive Board (EB) when submitted as a proposed CDM project activity. The paper shows that the CDM potential of large-scale energy efficiency measures strongly depends on the project-specific and country-specific context. In particular, technologies for the iron and steel industry (coke dry quenching (CDQ), top pressure recovery turbine (TRT), and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) gas recovery), the aluminium industry (point feeder prebake (PFPB) smelter), and the pulp and paper industry (continuous digester technology) offer promising CDM potential.     

Reversible MR findings of hemolytic uremic syndrome with mild encephalopathy

We report the reversible MR findings in a 7-year-old girl with hemolytic uremic syndrome and mild encephalopathy. The splenium of the corpus callosum showed isointense to low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images, representing local edema. These findings returned to near normal on MR images obtained 1 week later. The patient recovered without CNS impairment.     

Relationship between platinum wire temperature and catalytic heat release rate on platinum in unsteady‐state hydrogen–air mixture

The authors have proposed a hydrogen concentration probe using a catalytic reaction on the surface of a platinum wire. To use this probe for detecting the concentration change in a supersonic mixing layer, the response of the catalytic heat release rate must depend only on the change of concentration around the probe. The catalytic heat release rate on the surface of the platinum wire in an unsteady state was measured by a constant‐temperature hot‐wire anemometer and a shock tube to investigate the relationship between the response of the catalytic heat release rate and the temperature of the platinum wire. The catalytic heat release rate began increasing upon the introduction of the shock wave. The rate of increase of catalytic heat release depended on the temperature of the platinum wire when the temperature of the hot wire was low. However, the dependence was very weak when the temperature of the hot wire was above 400°C. This shows that it is not the catalytic reaction but rather molecular transfer from the flow to the surface of the platinum wire is the controlling step when the temperature of the platinum wire is high. In conclusion, the temperature of the platinum wire must be above 400°C to use the hydrogen concentration probe in a supersonic mixing layer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(1): 1–11, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10129     

Fusion of porous isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films fabricated on silica nanoparticles with stepwise stereocomplex assembly

Structures of silica nanoparticles coated with stereocomplex thin films composed of isotactic (it) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and syndiotactic (st) poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and with porous it-PMMA thin films under gentle stirring or static conditions were analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The porous it-PMMA films were fabricated by stepwise stereocomplex assembling of it-PMMA and st-PMAA, and subsequent extraction of the st-PMAA from the films. From DLS results, an evident difference was not observed between the it-PMMA films and the stereocomplex films, whereas the it-PMMA films after 10 h of stirring in acetonitrile/water (4/6, v/v) and drying on a SEM stage fused to form nanostructured networks. The fusion of the it-PMMA films on the silica nanoparticles occurred not by the dissolution of it-PMMA in the mixed solvent, but rather by an interaction of the it-PMMA chains driven by the slight solvation of acetonitrile without dissolution. Thus, leaving the solution at rest would be important for film fusion on the particles, and multiple spherical substrates could promote the crosslinking of the it-PMMA chains on the particles.     

Simultaneous two-wavelength Doppler phase-shifting digital holography

This paper presents a method based on the use of an image sensor for obtaining the complex amplitudes of beams diffracted from an object at two different wavelengths. The complex amplitude for each wavelength is extracted by the Doppler phase-shifting method. The principle underlying the proposed method is experimentally verified by using the method with two lasers having different wavelengths to measure the surface shape of a concave mirror.     

Characterization of Cu(InGa)Se2 grain boundary properties by electron- and tip-probe methods

Grain boundary (GB) properties of Cu(InGa)Se₂ thin film were measured using electron beam induced current (EBIC), electron back scatter diffraction patterns (EBSD) and scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) methods. The weak EBIC signal was observed in back-side grains which were separated by the random grain boundaries (GBs) running parallel to the substrate. Furthermore, it was shown by the SSRM that the tilt GBs had low resistivity. The two phenomena were explained by our previous proposed GB model [1]. Finally, the grain with a weak EBIC signal was assessed by the transmission electron microscope (TEM), and it was found that the grain had a twin cluster. The edge of the cluster reached at the CdS/CIGS interface, and the interface was disordered, which caused the minority carrier to sink, limiting the solar cell performance.     

Investigation of absorbed radiation dose in refraction-enhanced breast tomosynthesis by a Laue case analyser

An early diagnosis system for breast cancer using refraction-enhanced breast tomosynthesis is under development. Tomograms of breast specimens based on refraction-contrast were demonstrated using the simplest shift-and-add tomosynthesis algorithm. Raw projection image data of breast specimens for tomosynthesis were acquired for a total of 51 views over an angle of 50°, in increments of 1°, by rotating the object. The incident X ray was monochromatic synchrotron radiation with 20 keV. The purpose of this study was to estimate the absorbed dose of a new X-ray imaging method. As breast cancer almost always arises in glandular breast tissue, the average absorbed dose in such glandular tissue should be measured to estimate the radiation risk associated with mammography. The absorbed dose of the mammary gland due to monochromatic X rays was calculated by the Monte Carlo method, and the optimal X ray energy range for refraction-enhanced breast tomosynthesis was investigated through actual measurements. Compared with the conventional method, it was found to be below one-sixth per inspection.