A mesenteric liposarcoma with production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

A 77-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of pyrexia and a right retroperitoneal mass. Leukocytosis and other inflammatory findings were noted. Bone-marrow aspiration revealed hypercellularity with no malignant cells. An additional mass was detected sonographically in the pelvis. The serum concentration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was highly elevated (299 pg/ml). The tumors were removed at laparotomy, and the pelvic mass was found to arise from the ileocecal mesentery. Postoperatively, white blood cell count and serum G-CSF concentrations decreased to normal levels. The mesenteric tumor showed weakly positive immunostaining for human G-CSF, and Northern and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses detected CSF and its mRNA in the mesenteric tumor.     

A Taxonomy of Representation Strategies in Iconic Communication

Predicting whether the intended audience will be able to recognize the meaning of an icon or pictograph is not an easy task. Many icon recognition studies have been conducted in the past. However, their findings cannot be generalized to other icons that were not included in the study, which, we argue, is their main limitation. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive taxonomy of icons that is intended to enable the generalization of the findings of recognition studies. To accomplish this, we analyzed a sample of more than eight hundred icons according to three axes: lexical category, semantic category, and representation strategy. Three basic representation strategies were identified: visual similarity; semantic association; and arbitrary convention. These representation strategies are in agreement with the strategies identified in previous taxonomies. However, a greater number of subcategories of these strategies were identified. Our results also indicate that the lexical and semantic attributes of a concept influence the choice of representation strategy.     

Hydroxyapatite crystal growth on calcium hydroxyapatite ceramics

Calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca-HAP) ceramics containing tricalcium phosphate (TCP) were soaked in three solutions: phosphate buffer, tris buffer, and simulated body fluid (SBF). Petal-like crystals of Ca-HAP were deposited on the Ca-HAP ceramics when (i) Ca-HAP ceramics contained -TCP, (ii) the soaking solution contained phosphate ion and (iii) the pH of soaking solution was higher than 7.3. These conditions facilitate the presence of HPO ₄ ^2– and Ca²⁺ ions, the latter from dissolution of -TCP. A well-defined X-ray diffraction pattern for the deposited Ca-HAP crystals indicates preferred growth of {002} planes. Slower crystal growth of Ca-HAP was found for SBF (pH=7.5) than in the phosphate buffer, due possibly to the lower phosphate ion content in SBF.     

Thermophysical properties data on molten semiconductors

Thermophysical properties of molten semiconductors are reviewed. Published data for viscosity, thermal conductivity, surface tension, and other properties are presented. Several measurement methods often used for molten semiconductors are described. Recommended values of thermophysical properties are tabulated for Si, Ge, GaAs, InP, InSb, GaSb, and other compounds. This review shows that further measurements of thermophysical properties of GaAs and InP in the molten state are required. It is also indicated that a very limited amount of data on emissivity is available. Space experiments relating to thermophysical property measurements are described briefly.Nomenclature Density - C _p Specific heat - Kinematic viscosity - Dynamic viscosity= - Thermal diffusivity - Thermal conductivity=C_p - Volumetric thermal expansion coefficient - Surface tension - d/dT Temperature coefficient of surface tension - g Gravitational acceleration - T Temperature - T Temperature difference - L Characteristic dimension     

Co-crosslinking blend of incompatible polymers VI: Poly(vinyl chloride) toughened with polyethylene via a co-crosslinking technique

A binary blend which consists of two incompatible polymers such as poly(vinyl chloride) and polyethylene has been performed through a partial co-crosslinking reaction with peroxide to give a co-crosslinked blend with a uniform dispersion of small polyethylene particles and with an improved mechanical property. The results are obtained through the formation of a co-crosslinked product which acts as a potential solid phase dispersant as well as a well-bonded reinforcing interlayer on polyethylene particles uniformly dispersed in poly(vinyl chloride) matrix. The resulting blends (PVC/PE=10/90 wt) give carbon spherules of 0.5 to 1m diameter through pressure-carbonization at 650° C for 1 h.     

Ethanol production from raw starch by a recombinant yeast having saccharification and fermentation activities

In order to develop a method for converting raw starch into ethanol efficiently, direct fermentation of ozonized raw starch using a recombinant yeast was investigated. Ozonolysis was carried out as a pretreatment to convert raw starch into ethanol rapidly and efficiently, and then the effect of the ozone degradation conditions on the degree of polymerization and the amount of amylose in a raw starch was determined. Since the degree of polymerization was low and the amount of amylose was high, raw starch treated with an ozone concentration of 40 gm^?3 and an ozonation time of 30 min was the material chosen for alcohol fermentation. Though the recombinant yeast could not convert the untreated raw starch, it converted the soluble starch and the ozonized raw starch at a comparatively high yield into ethanol. About 56% of the ozonized raw starch decomposed, and the ethanol concentration obtained from the ozonized raw starch was markedly greater than that obtained from untreated raw starch. The dynamic behavior of cell growth, substrate degradation, and ethanol production was examined in a continuous culture under various dilution rates, and the optimal dilution rate, ie 0.15 h^?1, was determined for maximizing the ethanol productivity (amount of ethanol produced per unit time). © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

A novel agglomeration granulating system utilizing a centrifugal-fluidizing drive

Necessary conditions were studied for the optimum operation of agglomeration granulation. The mechanisms that would realize these conditions were investigated by several experiments.On the basis of the results obtained, a novel granulating system involving a surface wetness control mechanism has been developed.The present paper describes the mixing and dispersing characteristics of the coating vessel, the detection method for wetness control, the particular spraying units, and the operating conditions thereof, together with the characteristics of this newly developed powder coating granulation system.This system has been shown to provide an easy and reproducible granulating technique even when products below 1 mm in size are required.     

Sintering of Ceria-Doped Tetragonal Zirconia Crystallized in Organic Solvents, Water, and Air

Amorphous CeO₂–ZrO₂ gels were prepared by coprecipitation in ammonia solutions. The onset of crystallization of the gels, from calcining in air, was 420°C, while 200° to 250°C in the presence of water and organic solvents such as methanol and ethanol. The sintering behaviors of CeO₂–ZrO₂ powders were sensitive to the crystallizing conditions, since hard agglomerates formed when the precipitated gels were crystallized by normal calcination in air, whereas soft agglomerates formed when they were crystallized in water or organic solvents. CeO₂–ZrO₂ powders crystallized in methanol and water at 250°C were sintered to full theoretical density at 1150° and 1400°C, respectively, whereas that crystallized by calcination in air at 450°C was sintered to only 95.2% of theoretical density, even at 1500°C.