Oligosaccharide composition and pheromonal activity of male tergal gland secretions of the German cockroach,Blattella gennanica (L.)

In the sequential courtship behavior of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), females feed on the tergal gland secretions from the male tergites. The phagostimulative components in the male secretions were composed of a complex mixture of oligosaccharides and phospholipids. Besides seven oligosaccharides previously identified, two new trisaccharides, O--D-glucopyranosyl-(16)--D-glucopyranosyl -D-glucopyranoside and O--glucopyranosyl-(14)-O--glucopyranosyl- (11)-myo-inositol, were characterized as the sugar components of the secretions. The activity of the sugar components was compared in combination with the lipid fraction. Individual oligosaccharides exhibited the activity either alone or synergistically with the phospholipids. A complex mixture of these primary substances in the tergal gland secretions, thus, serves as a pheromonal phagostimulant in the precopulatory behavior, strongly eliciting feeding response in the female cockroach.     

Admittance spectroscopy of a phosphorus-doped n-diamond homoepitaxial layer

Generation and recombination processes of electrons through phosphorus (P) donor are analyzed by admittance spectroscopy for a Ni/Au Schottky contact on an n-diamond epilayer. The dependence of capacitance and conductance frequency on temperature is interpreted by Shockley–Read–Hall statistics. The thermal ionization energy and capture cross-section of P donor are evaluated to be 0.54 ± 0.02 eV and (4.5 ± 2.0) × 10^{− 17} cm², respectively. Broadening of the conductance–frequency curve is observed, which is believed to be evidence of a long Debye tail of electron distribution at the depletion layer edge.     

Effects of Limbic stimulation and the microinontophoresis of aminergic drugs on the single unit activity of hypothalamic neurosecretory cells (author''s transl)

1. The Na, K, Ca and Mg content and the 45Ca uptake and loss were determined in rat aortae incubated in physiological solution or in solution containing LaCl3 instead of CaCl2. 2. Aortae washed in La-solution contained less Ca and Na than controls in physiological solution, the K content was not modified and the Mg content was slightly decreased. 3. In 50 mM-La solution the 45Ca diffusion space was intermediate between the values found for the [14C]sorbitol space and the [14C]inulin space, indicating that there was no Ca entry within the cell nor Ca binding at superficial sites. 45Ca loss from the tissue was directly related to the La concentration. 4. Noradrenaline increased the rate of uptake of 45Ca into the Ca fraction resistant to displacement by La. This increase was dose dependent, a response of 50% of the maximum being produced by 2 x 10(-8) noradrenaline as for the contraction. In the presence of phentolamine, the dose-effect curves for the action of noradrenaline on 45Ca uptake were displaced in a manner characteristic of competitive antagonism. The rhoA2 for phentolamine was 7-8. 5. In physiological solution, the rate of loss of 45Ca, from the Ca fraction resistant to displacement by La, was increased by noradrenaline the ED50 was 2 x 10(-8) M, and the effect was abolished by phentolamine. 6. In view of the similarity of phentolamine rhoA2 estimated by measuring noradrenaline sensitive 45Ca uptake or noradrenaline evoked contraction, it is likely that the activation of alpha-adrenergic receptors is responsible for both effects.     

Research of core characteristics of the Package-Reactor

A new small reactor concept called the Package-Reactor has been jointly developed by Hitachi, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. The reactor technology was based on that of conventional LWRs. The reactor core consists of 12 cassettes containing fuel rods with a similar design to that of PWR fuel rods. Cassettes are placed in air at atmospheric pressure. Tube-type control clusters placed outside the pressure boundary are used as the core shutdown system. Natural circulation with two-phase flow is employed for the core cooling system and no re-circulation pumps are required. With these concepts the Package-Reactor eliminates any active components that operate in high pressure regions of the reactor and its capital costs can be reduced. The feasibility of reactivity control by using moderator void feedback and burnable poisons was studied to reduce operational and maintenance costs. It was found that a continuous operation of more than 5 years without any operations to control reactivity would be feasible with a UO₂ fuel enrichment of 5.0 wt%, which is the upper limit for UO₂ fuel enrichment under the current regulations in Japan. In addition, we researched the core reflectors' characteristics of the Package-Reactor.     

Plasma catecholamine levels in the coronary sinus, aorta and femoral vein of subjects undergoing cardiac catheterization at rest and during exercise

Plasma catecholamine (CA) levels in the coronary sinus (CS), aorta (Ao) and femoral vein (fv) were simultaneously measured in 22 patients with various heart diseases at rest and during handgrip exercise (IHG). The mean resting levels of plasma norepinephine (NE) in CS, Ao and FV were 359 +/- 49 (SEM) pg/ml, 290 +/- 27 and 234 +/- 24, respectively. The corresponding values of epinephrine (E) were 127 +/- 18 pg/ml, 186+/- 30 and 97 +/- 11, respectively. The E values in Ao were significantly greater than those in CS and in FV (p less than 0.05). IHG exercise induced an obvious elevation of plasma CA levels in every portion of the circulation studied. The mean increments of NE concentration were 81%, 54% and 67% of the resting levels at CS, Ao and FV, respectively, while IHG induced elevation of E were 70% of the resting values at each portion studied. Significant correlations were observed between individual CA concentrations in CS and in Ao, and also between those in Ao and in FV at rest. Under raised sympathoadrenal conditions, however, individual values of NE in CS failed to correlate signficantly to those in Ao and in FV, respectively. The NE output from CS was limited to only 3% and 5% of those in Ao at rest and during IHG, respectively. An actual mean increment of NE on its passing through the coronary circulation was only 2% or less of NE output in ao at both stages. It appears, thus, to be untenable that the cardiac tissue is one of the major source of circulating CA at physiological condition. From these reasons, the direct measurement of NE levels in CS may be mandatory, when plasma CA assay is designed for the purpose of studying the role of the sympathetic nerve activity in the regulation of cardiac function.     

Temporal coincidence between the excitation of ventromedial hypothalamic efferents and the induction of lordosis reflex in ovariectomized estrogen-primed rats

The field of antisense therapeutics has attracted great interest during the past decade. A large body of literature has recently appeared in which the antisense mechanism is claimed to be involved and a number of human clinical trials are underway. Questions regarding the specificity of action and side effects of antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides have arisen simultaneously.     

The microstructure and mechanical properties of yttria-stabilized zirconia prepared by arc-melting

The microstructure of ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ alloys prepared by arc-melting was examined mainly by electron microscopy. It was found that the microstructure changed markedly with yttria content between 0 and 8·7 mol%. Pure zirconia was a single monoclinic phase, while ZrO₂-8·7 mol% Y₂O₃ alloy was single cubic phase as expected from ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ phase diagram. Tetragonal phase was found in alloys with 1 to 6 mol% Y₂O₃ together with monoclinic or cubic phase. The tetragonal phase found in present alloys normally had a lenticular shape with a length 1 to 5m and a width 0.1 to 0.3m, which is much larger than that formed by annealing. The phase with a herring-bone appearance was found in alloys with Y₂O₃ between 2 and 3 mol%, which was recognized to be a metastable rhombohedral phase. The structure of the present alloys is likely to be formed by martensitic or bainitic transformation during fairly rapid cooling from the melt temperature. The change in hardness and toughness with yttria content of the alloys is discussed on the basis of microstructural observations.     

A live video streaming system for intuitive human-system interaction

In this paper, we propose an intuitive live video streaming system based on virtual reality technologies among people who are far apart. This system is a kind of server-client system, and can provide remote users with virtual 3D audiovisual fields in real time via a very-high-speed network. The server captures audio and video data from its clients, compiles them into a 3D audiovisual scene at a virtual conference, and broadcasts it to the clients. At the present stage, our system captures 2 videos and creates one 3D video at a time. Our system can play 3D audiovisual contents on Windows XP systems as well as on CAVE systems. Currently, our system can play the 3D video contents at about 2.36 fps under a LAN environment. This work was presented in part at the 12th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 25–27, 2007