Consultation service for efficacious usage of laboratory tests based on logical reasoning and evidence]

To effectively respond to the desire for consultation in clinical practice, we must prepare logical reasoning and evidence which rationally supports laboratory test selection, the interpretation of test results and recommendation of certain tests to physicians. Standard of medical decision making can be used for logic issues such as posttest probability, test characteristics and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and establishing appropriate cut-off points. Although we usually obtain evidence by consulting authorities or the literature, good evidence can also be obtained from meta-analysis. In addition, we can demonstrate the relationship of laboratory tests among several frequently occurring diseases and epidemiological tendencies such as frequency of causative organisms at several infection sites and bacterial sensitivities to antimicrobial agents, because we have access to a large-scale laboratory database. To construct a well-organized knowledge base with explicit evidence, cooperation among many facilities is necessary to develop system, which allows the free exchange of data.     

Thermodynamic assessment of the Aluminum-Manganese (Al-Mn) binary phase diagram

A thermodynamic calculation of the Al-Mn binary system that takes into account recent experimental results and includes five intermetallic compounds and all the solid-solution phases is presented. The Gibbs energy of the body-centered cubic (bcc) phase has been described on the basis of the two-sublattice model that includes the second-order A2/B2 ordering reaction as well. A consistent set of optimized thermodynamic parameters has been arrived at for describing the Gibbs energy of each phase in this system leading to a better fit between calculation and experiments.     

A new friction-type piezoelectric motor utilizing mechanism of thestrain wave gearing

A motor that utilizes multilayer piezoelectric devices for electromechanical power conversion and the mechanism of the strain wave gearing for generation of traveling motive forces is proposed. The construction, basic operation, and torque generation mechanism of the motor are described. The motor can be operated under variable frequency. Experimental results on the prototype motor made of metals are also presented. The feasibility of the proposed motor is verified, and the possibility of realizing piezoelectric motors with a larger torque is shown     

Multiple small intestinal stromal tumors with skeinoid fibers in association with neurofibromatosis 1 (von Recklinghausen's disease)

A case of multiple small intestinal stromal tumors (SIST) with skeinoid fibers of the jejunum arising in a 50 year old male with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF-1) is reported. Seven small tumors of the jejunal wall were incidentally found and excised during an operation for abdominal and retroperitoneal neurofibromas. Histologically, the tumors were composed of uniform spindle-shaped cells with fascicular pattern, almost indistinguishable from the histology in leiomyoma. Periodic acid Schiff stain-positive hyaline globules were observed among the tumor cells. Ultrastructurally, these globules were stromal tangles of curvilinear, fluffy fibrils, consistent with skeinoid fibers. The electron-dense granules, possibly neuro-secretory granules, were found in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for vimentin, neuron specific enolase and CD34, but negative for muscle markers and S100 protein. The association of NF-1 and multiple SIST with skeinoid fibers may have clinical implications. The multiple occurrence of SIST with skeinoid fibers seems to be often cited as one of the gastrointestinal manifestations of NF-1. The possible site of origin of SIST with skeinoid fibers in NF-1 may be the enteric autonomic nerve plexus in the small intestinal wall.     

HLA class II genotyping of sarcoidosis patients in Hokkaido by PCR-RFLP

To confirm the significant association of sarcoidosis with HLA-DR5, -DR6, and -DR8 associated DRB1 alleles, in sarcoidosis patients from the eastern Japan (Kanto) area found in our previous study, we used HLA class II genotyping of patients in another region-Hokkaido, in northern Japan. The annual incidence of sarcoidosis in Hokkaido is about three times that of eastern Japan, and Hokkaido has one of the world's highest incidences of this disease. For the HLA class II (HLA-DRB1, -DRB3, -DQA1, -DQB1) genotyping, we used the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method with 150 subjects: 40 sarcoidosis patients and 110 healthy controls. The frequencies of DRB1*12, DRB1*14, DRB1*08, DQA1*0501, and DQB1*0301 were significantly increased in the patients, compared with the controls. Our finding of a high frequency of DRB1*08 (which lacks the DRB3 gene encoding the DR52 antigen) in patients living in both eastern Japan and in Hokkaido, confirms that it is the HLA-DRB1 locus, rather than that of the HLA-DRB3, -DQA1, or -DQB1, which determines the susceptibility to sarcoidosis.     

Design consideration on a DBR-laser transmitter for fastfrequency-switching in an optical FDM cross-connect system

The design of a laser transmitter for fast frequency switching in an optical frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) cross-connect system that uses tunable laser diodes and passive frequency-channel selection filters is considered. Small-signal analysis of the laser rate equation is used to estimate laser switching time. The results show that the frequency switching time depends on the allowable frequency detuning as well as the frequency spacing and the carrier lifetime. Frequency switching time is obtained from the calculation of power penalty due to the frequency detuning at the receiver section with ASK and FSK direct detection schemes. To achieve frequency switching without bit loss in the cross-connect module, switching times of 4-200 ns are required to change frequencies of 500 GHz. This suggests that a duplex transmitter configuration using two laser diodes must be employed to perform fast frequency switching and bit-error-free operation in a cross-connect system. The thermally induced frequency drift is experimentally evaluated. The feasibility of the duplex transmitter configuration is experimentally verified with a 156 Mb/s cross-connect unit     

Method to assist the building and expression of subjective concepts and its application to design problems

The paper discusses how computers can assist human creativity. A support system has been built and applied to the domain of automobile design. The system uses multidimensional data and statistical methods, and configures a space for inspiring the users' design activity. In the first step, it assists them in forming individual design concepts. In the second step, it assists them in deciding their target design concepts. It has been confirmed that it works effectively through experiments. Some of the open questions on creativity support systems are also discussed.     

A practical design procedure for circularly polarized printed arrays using high frequency CAE

A practical design procedure for a circularly polarized printed array antenna composed of strip dipoles and slots (CP-PASS) is presented. CP-PASS is a kind of series-fed array, and the equivalent circuit model of CP-PASS is simplified to be suitable for a computer-aided design (CAD) package. Some experimental results of a new strip element excited by a stripline and a 9-element set CP-PASS are also presented.     

Differential interactions of the C terminus and the cytoplasmic I-II loop of neuronal Ca2+ channels with G-protein alpha and beta gamma subunits. I. Molecular determination

Interactions of G-protein alpha (Galpha) and beta gamma subunits (Gbeta gamma) with N- (alpha1B) and P/Q-type (alpha1A) Ca2+ channels were investigated using the Xenopus oocyte expression system. Gi3alpha was found to inhibit both N- and P/Q-type channels by receptor agonists, whereas Gbeta1 gamma2 was responsible for prepulse facilitation of N-type channels. L-type channels (alpha1C) were not regulated by Galpha or Gbeta gamma. For N-type, prepulse facilitation mediated via Gbeta gamma was impaired when the cytoplasmic I-II loop (loop 1) was deleted or replaced with the alpha1C loop 1. Galpha-mediated inhibitions were also impaired by substitution of the alpha1C loop 1, but only when the C terminus was deleted. For P/Q-type, by contrast, deletion of the C terminus alone diminished Galpha-mediated inhibition. Moreover, a chimera of L-type with the alpha1B loop 1 gained Gbeta gamma-dependent facilitation, whereas an L-type chimera with the N- or P/Q-type C terminus gained Galpha-mediated inhibition. These findings provide evidence that loop 1 of N-type channels is a regulatory site for Gbeta gamma and the C termini of P/Q- and N-types for Galpha.