Sequential methotrexate/5-fluorouracil therapy with 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine against advanced gastric cancer: comparison between bolus injection and drip infusion of 5-fluorouracil administration. Hirosaki Cooperative Study Group for Cancer Chemotherapy

Forty-two patients with gastric cancer were entered in this study. Forty-one of them were eligible and administered sequential methotrexate (MTX)/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR). 5-FU was administered intravenously by drip infusion for 2 hours in 22 cases (group A), and was infused by bolus injection in 19 cases (group B). The treatment schedules were as follows: MTX 100 mg/m2 was given intravenously (i.v.) followed by 5-FU 600 mg/m2 i.v. 2 hours later and leucovorin 15 mg/body i.v. 8 and 20 hours later. This cycle was repeated once a week. 5'-DFUR 1,200 mg/body/day was given orally on 5 consecutive days per week. Three of 20 cases (15%) in group A showed PR, while 5 of 15 cases (33%) in group B showed PR. Median survival time was 2.8 months in group A and 3.7 months in group B. There was, however, no statistical difference. Gastrointestinal toxicity was commonly observed. Leukocytopenia was more severe in group B. Alopecia was more frequently observed in group B (p < 0.025). These results suggested bolus injection of 5-FU was a promising way of administration in sequential MTX/5-FU therapy.     

Cooling mechanism during transient reflooding of a reactor fuel bundle after loss of coolant

Cooling efficiency during transient reflooding under loss of normal coolant conditions has been examined with a 7 × 7 simulated fuel rod bundle and jet pump bypass. The bundle contains 49 electrically heated rods with 3600 mm heated length and a pseudo cosine axial power distribution. Water is injected into the lower plenum and the superheated bundle is reflooded from the bottom with some flow diverted to the simulated jet pump bypass. The results show that effective cooling can be maintained.     

Effective resistance of current-carrying superconducting wire in oscillating magnetic fields 2. Twisted multifilamentary composite conductor

The influence of oscillating magnetic fields of low frequency on the dc transport current in a twisted multifilamentary conductor has been studied by observing the terminal voltage of the conductor. An analysis of the voltage versus oscillating field characteristics, combined with theoretical considerations, shows that current distribution among the filaments becomes uniform due to the oscillation of the field, and an effective resistance appears in the transport current when the amplitude of the oscillating field exceeds a certain threshold value. The dependence of the effective resistance on the characteristic parameters of both the oscillating field and the filamentary conductor is clarified.     

Possible relation between the low-level attenuation constant or ?Heff and ?Hk

It is deduced from a theoretical model that the effective linewidth or low-level attenuation constant increases in proportion to the reciprocal of the spin-wave linewidth when the latter exceeds a certain minimum.     

Recognizing machines with parametric and nonparametric learning methods using contextual information

Pattern recognition systems using information from the pattern which follows the present pattern are discussed. Parametric learning methods in the supervised and unsupervised machines are proposed and compare favorably with conventional methods. Furthermore, a semilinear machine with a nonparametric learning method is considered. The results of computer experiments with artificially generated data and with handprinted alphanumeric characters are given to show that the approach we adopt is quite useful for recognition of Markovian patterns.     

Quantitative determination of isomeric glycerides,free fatty acids and triglycerides by thin layer chromatography-flame ionization detector system

Partial glyceride mixtures, which include 1-monoglyceride, 2-monoglyceride, free fatty acid, 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride and triglyceride, could be separated from each other on a 3% boric-acid-impregnated Chromarod S-II (silica gel sintered quartz rod) with either chloroform/acetone (96∶4, v/v) or chloroform/acetone/acetic acid (100∶1∶1, v/v) as the developing solvent mixtures. The components separated on the boric-acid-impregnated rod were automatically quantitated in a hydrogen flame ionization detector (Iatroscan). The relative responses of 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride, free fatty acid and triglyceride were slightly lower than theoretical responses based on weight percentage, whereas 1-monoglyceride and 2-monoglyceride showed slightly higher responses. These responses were converged within a maximal error of 5–10% (SD). Boric-acid-impregnated rods could be used repeatedly, ca. 5 times without any reconditioning procedure. Part of this investigation was reported at the 2nd JOCS-AOCS joint meeting, San Francisco, May 1979.     

Production of recombinant tumor necrosis factor receptor/Fc fusion protein by genetically manipulated chickens

We previously reported the production of recombinant proteins using genetically manipulated chickens and quails. In this study, we constructed a retroviral vector encoding an expression cassette for a fusion protein of the extracellular domain of the human tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 2 and Fc region of human IgG1 (TNFR/Fc), which is expected as an effective drug for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The concentrated viral vector was injected into developing chicken embryos. The chickens that hatched stably produced TNFR/Fc in the serum and egg yolk for six months. It appears that the fused protein is transported and accumulated into yolk from the serum, which is mediated by the Fc receptor. The protein purified from the yolk and serum inhibited the cytotoxic activity of TNF-* toward L929 cells, indicating that the protein produced by the chickens is biologically active. These results indicate the effectiveness of the recovery of Fc-fused proteins from the yolk of genetically manipulated chickens.     

Effects of cyclic tensile loading on the rupture behavior of orthogonal 3-D woven SiC fiber/SiC matrix composites at elevated temperatures in air

This study examined the rupture mechanisms of an orthogonal 3D woven SiC fiber/BN interface/SiC matrix composite under combination of constant and cyclic tensile loading at elevated temperature in air. Monotonic tensile testing, constant tensile load testing, and tension–tension fatigue testing were conducted at 1100 °C. A rectangular waveform was used for fatigue testing to assess effects of unloading on the damage and failure behavior. Microscopic observation and single-fiber push-out tests were conducted to reveal the rupture mechanisms. Results show that both oxidative matrix crack propagation attributable to oxidation of the fiber–matrix interface and the decrease in the interfacial shear stress (IFSS) at the fiber–matrix interface significantly affect the lifetime of the SiC/SiC composites. A rupture strength degradation model was proposed using the combination of the oxidative matrix crack growth model and the IFSS degradation model. The prediction roughly agreed with the experimentally obtained results.