Life satisfaction and age concentration of the local area.

Data from a community sample of persons 60 years old and older were analyzed to determine if the concentration of older persons in the local area (operationally defined as census tracts) was related to the respondent's life satisfaction after controlling for the known effects of physical health, socioeconomic status, social participation, and other microlevel variables. Results showed that the effect of age concentration is negative, but that this effect differs according to the frequency with which a respondent visits a close friend who lives outside the neighborhood and the number of voluntary associations to which the respondent belongs. The more frequently respondents visited outside the neighborhood, the greater the negative effect of age concentration. On the other hand, the more voluntary association memberships respondents had, the smaller the negative effect of age concentration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increased endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in patients with congestive heart failure

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in controlling vascular tone and regulates the contractile properties of cardiac myocytes. Patients with heart failure exhibit high plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate (NOx), a stable metabolite of NO, and of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, a potent inducer of NO synthase. An increase in inducible NO synthase activity has been found in cardiac tissue from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. These findings raise the possibility that local or systemic overproduction of NO induced by cytokines exerts a chronic negative inotropic effect on the myocardium and may have detrimental effects on systemic hemodynamics in patients with heart failure. Plasma levels of NG,NG-dimethylarginine (asymmetric dimethylarginine; ADMA), a circulating endogenous NO synthase inhibitor, were measured in control subjects and patients with valvular, hypertensive, or ischemic heart diseases or idiopathic cardiomyopathy. The plasma levels of NOx and ADMA were assessed by high performance liquid chromatography. The plasma levels of NOx and ADMA were significantly elevated in patients with heart failure. Both NOx and ADMA were positively correlated with New York Heart Association functional class. There was a significant inverse correlation between plasma NOx and ejection fraction, as estimated by echocardiography. A significant relationship between plasma NOx and ADMA was found only in patients with moderate to severe heart failure (r=0.41, p=0.01). Findings suggest a compensatory role of a circulating endogenous NO synthase inhibitor against induced NO synthase activity in patients with heart failure.     

Hyaluronidase activity in human pus from which Streptococcus intermedius was isolated

Hyaluronidase (HAase) activity was detected in both a human pus sample and the culture supernatant of the only bacterial isolate from the pus, Streptococcus intermedius, using a zymographic technique. The optimum pH range for HAase activity was similar for both samples. Although the bands showing the strongest HAase activity of these samples differed from each other with respect to molecular size, both samples were equally inhibited by an antiserum raised against HAase of S. intermedius. These results suggest that S. intermedius may produce HAase in vivo as well as in vitro, and that this enzyme and/or its fragments may play an important role in host tissue degradation.     

Development of a ghost cancel reference signal for TV broadcasting

A method for reducing ghost interference of TV signals is described. As part of a ghost canceler that is designed to eliminate ghost signals inside a signal receiver, the authors developed a ghost cancel reference (GCR) signal as part of the EDTV (extended definition television) system. In this system, a bar signal with a rise waveform of sin x/x is inserted as a reference signal into the vertical blanking period using a special send sequence on the transmitter's side. With this GCR, the ghost canceler built into a TV receiver is able to detect ghost signals with a delay time of about 45 μs or less (i.e. from the limit of subjective observation to that of objective observation). This GCR method has been adopted as Japan's standard for broadcasting and was introduced in the fall of 1989     

Simulation of cutting process in peripheral milling by predictive cutting force model based on minimum cutting energy

The cutting force and the chip flow direction in peripheral milling are predicted by a predictive force model based on the minimum cutting energy. The chip flow model in milling is made by piling up the orthogonal cuttings in the planes containing the cutting velocities and the chip flow velocities. The cutting edges are divided into discrete segments and the shear plane cutting models are made on the segments in the chip flow model. In the peripheral milling, the shear plane in the cutting model cannot be completely made when the cutting point is near the workpiece surface. When the shear plane is restricted by the workpiece surface, the cutting energy is estimated taking into account the restricted length of the shear plane. The chip flow angle is determined so as to minimize the cutting energy. Then, the cutting force is predicted in the determined chip flow model corresponding to the workpiece shape. The cutting processes in the traverse and the contour millings are simulated as practical operations and the predicted cutting forces verified in comparison with the measured ones. Because the presented model determines the chip flow angle based on the cutting energy, the change in the chip flow angle can be predicted with the cutting model.     

Predictive cutting force model in complex-shaped end milling based on minimum cutting energy

A force model is presented to predict the cutting forces and the chip flow directions in cuttings with complex-shaped end mills such as ball end mills and roughing end mills. Three-dimensional chip flow in milling is interpreted as a piling up of the orthogonal cuttings in the planes containing the cutting velocities and the chip flow velocities. Because the cutting thickness changes with the rotation angle of the edge in the milling process, the surface profile machined by the previous edge inclines with respect to the cutting direction. The chip flow model is made using the orthogonal cutting data with taking into account the inclination of the pre-machined surface. The chip flow direction is determined so as to minimize the cutting energy, which is the sum of the shear energy on the shear plane and the friction energy on the rake face. Then, the cutting force is predicted for the chip flow model at the minimum cutting energy. The predicted chip flow direction changes not only with the local edge inclination but also with the cutting energy consumed in the shear plane cutting model. The cutting processes with a ball end mill and a roughing end mill are simulated to verify the predicted cutting forces in comparison with the measured cutting forces.     

Methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide at atmospheric pressure over Cu/ZnO catalyst. Role of methoxide species formed on ZnO support

Methanol synthesis from CO₂ and H₂ was carried out over a Cu/ZnO catalyst (Cu/Zn = 3/7) at atmospheric pressure, and the surface species formed were analyzed by diffuse reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption method. Two types of formate species and zinc methoxide were formed in the course of the reaction. Zinc methoxide was readily hydrolyzed to methanol. H₂O formed through the reverse water gas shift reaction was suggested to be involved in the hydrolysis of zinc methoxide.     

A basic study of photodynamic therapy of experimental hepatoma with ME 2906

We have studied effects of photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in hepatoma as confirmed by the existence of hepatoma when using a new photosensitizer mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6. Japanese white rabbits were selected to perform abdominal incision under intravenous anesthesia and transplant VX2 tumor cells into the liver left lobe for the hepatoma model. Hepatoma of 1 cm in diameter (at one week after transplantation) was used experimentally to radiate a semiconductor laser (664 nm, 200 J/cm2) for treatment.     

Establishment of Intestinal Organoid from Rousettus leschenaultii and the Susceptibility to Bat-Associated Viruses,SARS-CoV-2 and Pteropine Orthoreovirus

Various pathogens, such as Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2, are threatening human health worldwide. The natural hosts of these pathogens are thought to be bats. The rousette bat, a megabat, is thought to be a natural reservoir of filoviruses, including Ebola and Marburg viruses. Additionally, the rousette bat showed a transient infection in the experimental inoculation of SARS-CoV-2. In the current study, we established and characterized intestinal organoids from Leschenault’s rousette, Rousettus leschenaultii. The established organoids successfully recapitulated the characteristics of intestinal epithelial structure and morphology, and the appropriate supplements necessary for long-term stable culture were identified. The organoid showed susceptibility to Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV) but not to SARS-CoV-2 in experimental inoculation. This is the first report of the establishment of an expandable organoid culture system of the rousette bat intestinal organoid and its sensitivity to bat-associated viruses, PRV and SARS-CoV-2. This organoid is a useful tool for the elucidation of tolerance mechanisms of the emerging rousette bat-associated viruses such as Ebola and Marburg virus.