The development of a diagnostic and monitoring system for vibrating pipe branches

This paper deals with a diagnostic and monitoring system for assessing the integrity of pipe branches, during the operation of the nuclear power plant. This system have been developed under the concept of “easy to use without any sophisticated analysis” and “portable”. The accuracy of the diagnosis is based on the model optimization subsystem, which automatically modifies the numerical vibration model so as to fit its natural frequency to the actual natural frequency. The information obtained by this system may be reflected to a maintenance program of the plant to assure more reliable operation of the plant.     

Pustular vasculitis with clinical feature of pustular psoriasis and sternoclavicular hyperostosis

We report the case of a 51-year-old Japanese man with a unique pustulosis. He had multiple erythematous plaques and numerous pinpoint pustules on the trunk and extremities resembling pustular psoriasis. Histologic features revealed a fully developed intraepidermal abscess filled with neutrophils and disrupted epidermal keratinocytes. Mild leukocytosclastic vasculitis was seen in the underlying dermis. A direct immunofluorescence study revealed IgM, Clq, C3 and fibrinogen deposits in the dermal vessels. The patient had also sternoclavicular hyperostosis. We think that this represents a unique type of pustular vasculitis distinct from pustular psoriasis.     

Esophageal intramural metastasis from an adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia: report of a case

We report herein the rare case of a 65-year-old man found to have esophageal intramural metastasis from cancer of the gastric cardia. Endoscopic examination initially revealed an infiltrating ulcerative tumor of the gastric cardia involving the esophagogastric junction, as well as a submucosal tumor of the lower esophagus. A total thoracic esophagogastrectomy with lower mediastinal lymphadenectomy was performed, and the resected specimen demonstrated that both the cardia and esophageal tumors were adenocarcinomas with the same cellular differentiation. As lymphatic invasion and metastases to the paracardial and mediastinal lymph nodes were observed, the esophageal submucosal tumor was considered to be an intramural metastasis from the carcinoma of the gastric cardia resulting from extensive lymphatic spread. The patient died of recurrent disease 9 months after the resection. This case report serves to demonstrate that intramural metastasis may be a local indicator of the systemic spread of disease in patients with gastric carcinoma, as it is in esophageal carcinoma.     

Changes in [3H]flunitrazepam binding in the brain of rats made tolerant to and dependent upon pentobarbital

Changes in benzodiazepine binding sites labeled by [3H]flunitrazepan (FNZ) in twenty discrete brain regions of rats made tolerant to and dependent upon pentobarbital were examined. Animals were rendered tolerant by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion with pentobarbital (300 micrograms/ 10 microliters/ hr for six days) through pre-implanted cannulae connected to osmotic mini-pumps. The pentobarbital dependence was assessed 24 hr after abrupt withdrawal from pentobarbital. In the tolerant rats, a significant increase in [3H]FNZ binding sites was found in layer IV of frontal cortex and the molecular layer of olfactory bulb. [3H]FNZ binding sites in the pentobarbital dependent rats were significantly increased in layers I-III and V-VI of frontal cortex, caudate-putamen, olfactory tubercle, globus pallidus and ventral pallidum, in addition to those observed in the tolerant group. There was, however, no significant difference in the hippocampus and several regions in the hindbrain in either pentobarbital-treated group. Taken together with characteristics of subtypes of benzodiazepine receptors and changes in GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complexes elucidated in our previous studies, these findings suggest that both types of benzodiazepine receptors are involved in the development of pentobarbital intoxication mediated by GABAA receptors.     

Synthesis of ultrafine single-component oxide particles by the spray-ICP technique

Ultrafine oxide particles were synthesized by introducing aqueous solutions of metal salts into a high-temperature r.f. inductively coupled plasma (the spray-ICP technique). The particles synthesized were spherical for ZrO₂, Y₂O₃, Sm₂O₃, La₂O₃, δ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂ (anatase), β-Bi₂O₃ and CuO, plate-like for Nd₃O₂, Cr₂O₃ and Pr₂O₃, polyhedral for PrO₂, CeO₂ and γ-Fe₂O₃, cubical for NiO, MgO, CaO, Co₃O₄ and Mn₃O₄, bar-like for SnO₂ and ZnO, and foil-like for β-PbO and MoO₃. The products of the alkaline earth group except for magnesium, were hydroxides and/or carbonates, spoiled by atmospheric H₂O and/or CO₂. The particle morphology suggests that particle growth is controlled predominantly by the gas-solid reaction occurring on the surface of nuclei condensed from the gas phase. Some of the oxides revealed a particle morphology characteristic of their crystal structures.     

Phosphatidylserine specific binding protein in rat brain: purification and characterization

A calcium-independent phosphatidylserine specific binding protein detected on liposome blotting analysis was purified from rat brain and revealed to be identical to myristoylated, alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS). MARCKS specifically binds to phosphatidylserine but not phosphatidylcholine. The binding of MARCKS to phosphatidylserine was abolished on protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation. Since bacterially expressed MARCKS also specifically binds to phosphatidylserine, myristoylation of the N-terminal glycine seems not to be essential for the binding of MARCKS to phosphatidylserine. These data suggest that phosphatidylserine is a membranous target molecule of MARCKS.     

Microstructure characterization of sol-gel derived PZT films

The crystallization of sol-gel derived amorphous PZT films deposited on a MgO single-crystal substrate and a SiO₂ glass substrate was examined. The pyrochlore crystallites, 5 nm in size, were homogeneously nucleated in the amorphous films at 350 °C. The nucleation temperature of pyrochlore did not depend on the type of substrate. Fine pyrochlore grains were stable even during annealing at high temperatures up to 600 °C. The perovskite formation temperature was dependent on the substrate, and was about 550 °C on the MgO single-crystal substrate and about 750 °C on the SiO₂ glass substrate. The perovskite was heterogeneously nucleated preferentially at the substrate-film interface. Perovskite nucleation was more difficult at the SiO₂ glass-film interface than at the MgO single crystal-film interface. The ease of nucleation reflected the perovskite formation temperature. Perovskite crystals grew fairly rapidly, once they were nucleated in the films. In the multiple-coated films, the interface between successive layers of PZT films was a favourable nucleation site of perovskite, and the columnar perovskite grains passing through the interface were often developed.     

The cDNA-derived amino acid sequence of indoleamine dioxygenase like-myoglobin from the gastropod mollusc Omphalius pfeifferi

Urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) is a physiological protease inhibitor and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) is regarded as a precursor of UTI. The purpose of this study is to determine the mechanism of the UTI release from ITI. To examine this, ITI was digested by human neutrophil elastase at various concentrations, and UTI-related proteins which were of the same size as UTI were obtained. The amino acid sequence of the 15 amino acid residues at the N-terminal of UTI-related proteins, corresponded to that of UTI. The amino acid sequences of the small amount of peptides detected corresponded to those of peptides from the heavy chain1 (H1) and the heavy chain2 (H2) of ITI, suggesting that most UTI-related proteins do not combine with peptides from the H1 and H2 of ITI. It was also revealed that UTI-related proteins have several physiological activities similar to those of UTI, i.e., human trypsin inhibitory activity, human neutrophil elastase inhibitory activity, inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production from rat macrophages and of superoxide production from rabbit leukocytes. These results demonstrated that ITI is a precursor of UTI which is digested by human neutrophil elastase to release UTI, and that its elastase inhibitory activity is derived from UTI.     

Determination of cyanide in whole blood by capillary gas chromatography with cryogenic oven trapping

Cyanide, one of the most important toxic substances, has been found measurable with high sensitivity by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with cryogenic oven trapping upon injection of headspace (HS) vapor samples. The entire amount of cyanide in the HS sample could be cryogenically trapped prior to on-line GC analysis. A 0.5-mL volume of blood in the presence or absence of cyanide and propionitrile (internal standard, IS) was added to a vial containing 0.25 mL of distilled water, 0.3 g of Na2-SO4, 0.2 mL of 50% H3PO4, and 0.1 g of ascorbic acid (when needed), and the mixture was heated at 70 degrees C for 15 min. A 5-mL volume of the HS vapor was introduced into a GC capillary column in the splitless mode at -30 degrees C oven temperature that was programmed up to 160 degrees C for GC analysis with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. A sharp peak was obtained for cyanide under the present conditions, and backgrounds were very clean. The extraction efficiencies of cyanide and IS were 2.89-3.22 (100 or 500 ng/mL) and 2.42%, respectively. The calibration curve showed good linearity in the range of 25-1000 ng/mL and the detection limit was approximately 2 ng/mL. The coefficients of intraday and interday variations were 2.9 and 11.8%, respectively. The mean blood cyanide level measured for actual fire victims was 687 +/- 597 ng/mL (mean +/- SD, n = 9). Endogenous blood cyanide concentration for healthy subjects was 8.41 +/- 3.09 ng/mL (mean +/- SD, n = 6).