Photodegradation of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) films

Poly(ethylene 2,6-Naphthalate) films were irradiated in air by various light sources. By means of a spectral irradiator and a UV carbon arc, the most effective wavelength was determined as about 382 mμ. For a wavelength shorter than 375 mμ, the insolubilization reaction occurs only at the surface layer, while at 382 mμ, the chain scission and insolubilization occur at the same time throughout the depth. Some observations on the change of the fluorescence spectra upon UV irradiation are described.     

A Color Graphic Processor for Television Broadcasting

Today, computer graphics technology has advanced remarkably so that it can handle quite complicated picture information. As a result, images for broadcasting, advertising and textiles that used to be made by hand and were very timeconsuming to put out can now be completed in a very short time.     

Polymer-immobilized manganese(III)-Schiff base complexes for catalytic epoxidation of olefins

Polymer-linked manganese(III)-salen-type Schiff base complexes were prepared by the copolymerization of functionalized Schiff base, styrene, and divinylbenzene at various mixing ratios (1:10:0–1:12:4), followed by introduction of Mn(III) ion. The materials catalyzed epoxidation of cyclohexene with iodosylbenzene in CH₂Cl₂ as rapidly as the monomer complexes. The maximum total turnover reached 170, which is about 13 times higher than that of the monomer. The lifetime of polymer catalysts is discussed in terms of cross-linking and solvent effects.     

Structural Analysis of Orthorhombic Hafnia by Neutron Powder Diffraction

The crystal structure of orthorhombic HfO₂ synthesized at 600°C and 6 GPa was investigated by a time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction experiment. Rietveld analysis of these data revealed that the space group of this phase is Pbca. The refined lattice parameters are a ₀= 1.00177, b ₀= 0.52276, and c ₀= 0.50599 nm. The structure is derived from a distorted fluorite (CaF₂) structure by a b -glide parallel to the a -axis. The hafnium atom is in seven-fold coordination. The structure of orthorhombic HfO₂ is found to be the same as that of an orthorhombic ZrO₂, which occurs under high pressure above 3 GPa.     

A stream function-vorticity finite element formulation for Navier-Stokes equations in multi-connected domain

In this paper we present a stream function-vorticity finite element formulation for Navier-Stokes equations which does not require an iterative procedure for satisfying the boundary conditions, and show that this formulation is of great advantage in solving the flow problems in a multi-connected domain.     

Induction of anovulatory sterility by neonatal treatment with 5 beta-dihydrotestosterone in female rats

Wistar female rats were injected with testosterone (T) or 5 beta-dihydrotestosterone (5 beta-DHT) for the first 5 days of life. Neonatal treatment with 1 mg of T resulted in anovulatory persistent oestrous syndrome in 100% of the animals. In the females injected with 1 mg of 5 beta-DHT, 74% of the treated rats became sterile at 120 days of age. In addition, 0.5 mg 5 beta-DHT was also effective in inducing anovulatory persistent oestrus; the incidence of sterility was 10 and 80% at 60 and 120 days of age, respectively. When daily dose of 5 beta-DHT was reduced to 0.1 mg, however, only 33% of the rats resulted in sterility. These results suggest that the free form of T and non-aromatizable androgen, 5 beta-DHT, can permanently suppress the development of female type of neuroendocrine regulation. The possible participation of the process other than the central aromatization in androgenization will be discussed.     

Stress and Nasal Allergy: Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Stimulates Mast Cell Degranulation and Proliferation in Human Nasal Mucosa

Psychological stress exacerbates mast cell (MC)-dependent inflammation, including nasal allergy, but the underlying mechanisms are not thoroughly understood. Because the key stress-mediating neurohormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), induces human skin MC degranulation, we hypothesized that CRH may be a key player in stress-aggravated nasal allergy. In the current study, we probed this hypothesis in human nasal mucosa MCs (hM-MCs) in situ using nasal polyp organ culture and tested whether CRH is required for murine M-MC activation by perceived stress in vivo. CRH stimulation significantly increased the number of hM-MCs, stimulated both their degranulation and proliferation ex vivo, and increased stem cell factor (SCF) expression in human nasal mucosa epithelium. CRH also sensitized hM-MCs to further CRH stimulation and promoted a pro-inflammatory hM-MC phenotype. The CRH-induced increase in hM-MCs was mitigated by co-administration of CRH receptor type 1 (CRH-R1)-specific antagonist antalarmin, CRH-R1 small interfering RNA (siRNA), or SCF-neutralizing antibody. In vivo, restraint stress significantly increased the number and degranulation of murine M-MCs compared with sham-stressed mice. This effect was mitigated by intranasal antalarmin. Our data suggest that CRH is a major activator of hM-MC in nasal mucosa, in part via promoting SCF production, and that CRH-R1 antagonists such as antalarmin are promising candidate therapeutics for nasal mucosa neuroinflammation induced by perceived stress.     

An exploratory study for analyzing interactional processes of group discussion: the case of a focus group interview

The purposes of this study are (a) to establish a measurement for evaluating conversational impressions of group discussions, and (b) to make an exploratory investigation on their interactional processes which may affect to form those impressions. The impression rating and factor analysis undertaken first give us four factors concerning conversational impressions of “focus group interviews (FGIs)”: conversational activeness, conversational sequencing, the attitudes of participants and the relationships of participants. In relation to the factors of conversational activeness and conversational sequencing in particular, the microanalysis of four selected topical scenes from our database further shows that the behavior of the moderator and the interviewees is organized not independently but with reference to each other. The study thus emphasizes the importance of the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches towards human interactions.

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