The Pulsed High Density Experiment: Concept, Design, and Initial Results

An experimental program has been initiated that will explore the very compact, high energy density regime of fusion based on the magneto-kinetic compression of the FRC. Of all fusion reactor embodiments, only the FRC has the simply-connected closed field, linear confinement geometry, and intrinsic high β required for magnetic fusion at high energy density. PHD takes advantage of the linear confining geometry by incorporating a traveling, burning plasmoid, significantly reducing the wall loading as well as keeping the formation well separated from the burn chamber. Being small, compact, and at high β greatly improves the exposed surface to reacting volume ratio. Being pulsed eliminates the need for flux sustainment, and provides for regulation of the average wall loading. A wide range of reactor scenarios are compatible with PHD including liquid metal walls with the prospect of direct energy conversion through cyclical wall compression/expansion.     

Upper airway muscle activity during REM and non-REM sleep of patients with obstructive apnea

We measured electromyograms (EMGs) of genioglossus muscle (GG) and inspiratory intercostal muscle (IIM) in both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep of 12 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to examine the influence of different sleep stages on upper airway muscle activity during sleep apnea. Quantifications of both muscle activities were assessed by their individual peak amplitude of integrated inspiratory EMG. Genioglossus and IIM activities showed a qualitatively similar cyclic change with an alteration of apneic and ventilatory phases during both non-REM and REM sleep. Both muscle activities increased gradually in the late apneic phase and reached each peak at the opening of the upper airway and, subsequently, decreased gradually. There were no significant differences in both muscles activities in either the ventilatory or early apneic phase between non-REM sleep and REM sleep. On the other hand, GG and IIM activities in the late apneic phase during REM sleep were significantly lower than those during non-REM sleep. The relative activity of GG to IIM in the late apneic phase was significantly lower during REM sleep than that during non-REM sleep. These results indicate that upper airway and intercostal muscle activation in the later apneic phase during REM sleep were inhibited compared with those during non-REM sleep and that this inhibition was observed predominantly in upper airway muscles.     

Structural equation modeling for unraveling the multivariate genomic architecture of milk proteins in dairy cattle

The aims of this study were to investigate potential functional relationships among milk protein fractions in dairy cattle and to carry out a structural equation model (SEM) GWAS to provide a decomposition of total SNP effects into direct effects and effects mediated by traits that are upstream in a phenotypic network. To achieve these aims, we first fitted a mixed Bayesian multitrait genomic model to infer the genomic correlations among 6 milk nitrogen fractions [4 caseins (CN), namely κ-, β-, α_S1-, and α_S2-CN, and 2 whey proteins, namely β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA)], in a population of 989 Italian Brown Swiss cows. Animals were genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 Bead Chip v.2 (Illumina Inc.). A Bayesian network approach using the max-min hill-climbing (MMHC) algorithm was implemented to model the dependencies or independence among traits. Strong and negative genomic correlations were found between β-CN and α_S1-CN (?0.706) and between β-CN and κ-CN (?0.735). The application of the MMHC algorithm revealed that κ-CN and β-CN seemed to directly or indirectly influence all other milk protein fractions. By integrating multitrait model GWAS and SEM-GWAS, we identified a total of 127 significant SNP for κ-CN, 89 SNP for β-CN, 30 SNP for α_S1-CN, and 14 SNP for α_S2-CN (mostly shared among CN and located on Bos taurus autosome 6) and 15 SNP for β-LG (mostly located on Bos taurus autosome 11), whereas no SNP passed the significance threshold for α-LA. For the significant SNP, we assessed and quantified the contribution of direct and indirect paths to total marker effect. Pathway analyses confirmed that common regulatory mechanisms (e.g., energy metabolism and hormonal and neural signals) are involved in the control of milk protein synthesis and metabolism. The information acquired might be leveraged for setting up optimal management and selection strategies aimed at improving milk quality and technological characteristics in dairy cattle.     

Role of endogenous nitric oxide in allergen-induced airway responses in guinea-pigs

1. Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) can be detected in exhaled air and accumulates in inflamed airways. However its physiological role has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated a role for endogenous NO in allergen-induced airway responses. Sensitised guinea-pigs were treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester L-NAME (2.0 mM) or aminoguanidine (AG) (2.0 mM) 30 min before the allergen challenge, and 3 and 4 h after the challenge. Alternatively, L-arginine (2.4 mM) treatment was performed 30 min before, and 2 and 3 h after the challenge. In all groups, ovalbumin (OVA) challenge (2 mg ml(-1) for 2 min) was performed, and airway responses, NO production, infiltration of inflammatory cells, plasma exudation and histological details were examined. 2. Allergen-challenged animals showed an immediate airway response (IAR) and a late airway response (LAR), which synchronised with an increase in exhaled NO. Treatment with L-NAME and AG did not affect IAR while they significantly blocked LAR (72% and 80% inhibition compared to vehicle) and production of NO (35% and 40% inhibition). On the other hand, treatment with L-arginine did not affect IAR but potentiated LAR (74% augmentation). 3. In bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, allergen-induced increases in eosinophils were reduced by 48% for L-NAME treatment compared to vehicle, and increased by 56% for L-arginine treatment. 4. Treatment with L-NAME significantly decreased airway microvascular permeability to both Monastral blue (MB) and Evans blue (EB) dye (50.6% and 44% inhibition). 5. We conclude that allergen-induced LAR is closely associated with NO production, and that NO plays a critical role in inflammatory cell infiltration and plasma exudation in the allergic condition.     

Flow field control to mitigate airborne sea salt adhesion on bridge girders

In order to realise effective maintenance and enhanced durability of structures, it is important to also reduce corrosion of bridges by airborne sea salt. The objective of this study is to reduce airborne sea salt adhesion amount on steel girder bridges by employing aerodynamic countermeasures. The study bridge is a typical metropolitan highway bridge with 8 I-shaped steel girders located in Japan. Aerodynamic countermeasure devices are employed to change the flow field around the bridge structure in an attempt to reduce wind velocity normal to the bridge girders. Devices existing on urban bridges such as noise barriers, median barriers, and facilities for passage of drainage pipes and electric cables, modelled as horizontal plates, are modified and investigated for their ability to reduce airborne sea salt adhesion amount. As additional devices, vertical plates are installed to change the flow separation and their applicability is also studied. Computational fluid dynamics is employed for flow field simulations and airborne sea salt adhesion amount is estimated by the improved concentration flux method. Findings indicate that horizontal plates and vertical plates significantly reduce airborne sea salt adhesion amount. Noise barriers and median barriers can also reduce airborne sea salt adhesion amount.     

100-Mbit/s single-chip Q-VLMS MLSE equalizer LSI for TDMA mobileradio communications

A single-chip 100-Mbit/s burst-operation two-tap maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) equalizer LSI for QPSK signals is introduced. It also supports two-branch diversity combining. Three new techniques are used to realize this fast equalizer LSI: the quantized variable-gain least mean squares (VLMS) algorithm, which has small processing delay with fast convergence characteristics; a simple complex-valued multiplication scheme based on inverting the sign and switching the in-phase and quadrature-phase components; and a parallel structure to minimize the processing delay of path memory. The chip, containing 75 kgates, is manufactured using the 0.45-μm-CMOS gate array process. The supply voltage is 3.3 V. This LSI offers higher processing speed than any other conventional equalizer chip for mobile radio communications     

Experimental and computational study on sintering of ceramic coating layers with complex porous structures

This study investigated the sintering behavior of an yttria-stabilized zirconia coating for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with a complicated porous structure via both experiment and simulation using the finite element method for samples with only a coating (free coating) and samples with coating on a substrate (constrained coating). Sintering and grain growth proceeded from the bottom of the coating, and the coating bent convex upward in the free coating. In the constrained coating, sintering and grain growth proceeded in a manner similar to the free coating; however, the degrees of sintering and grain growth were small. Furthermore, sintering and grain growth were delayed because of substrate constraints. As a simulation result, the free coating was bent in a manner similar to the experiment. The experimental results could be reproduced in terms of time dependency and temperature dependency. The decrease in the porosity of the constrained coating was delayed compared with that in the free coating because of substrate constraints. This simulation result was able to reproduce the experimental results. Thus, the sintering behavior for the complex porous structures of TBCs can be predicted by experimental research and simulation, which could aid in the development of a prediction technology for the delamination of coatings (TBC lifetime).     

A hospital-wide PACS: 7 year experience and new development

Hokkaido university picture archiving and communication system (HU-PACS) began clinical service in the Hokkaido university hospital in 1989. For the first 5 years the service was limited to the radiology department and the outpatient clinics. This paper describes the outline of the HU-PACS, how we have extended the service to all wards and managed the increasing image data accompanied by the installation of new CTs and MRI since 1994. A plan of future HU-PACS is also described.     

The cytotoxic effect of topical mitomycin C on the ciliary body in rabbits]

In order to know the initial lens changes that accompany atopic dermatitis (AD), 99 patients diagnosed dermatologically to have AD without any or with slight external ocular inflammations and with no habit of rubbing the eyelid due to severe itching were examined opthalmologically. Clinically, none of them showed any cataractous changes in their eyes. For the sake of comparison with the above population, 4 AD patients with cataractous eyes, 49 renal transplantation patients who were administered steroids over a long period of time but clinically had no cataractous lenses, and 94 healthy individuals with transparent lenses were also selected as subjects. The crystalline lenses of the subjects were examined using an anterior eye segment analysis system and specular microscopy. From Scheimpflug slit images of the lens, light scattering intensity of different lens layers was measured as an indicator of lens transparency changes. The subcapsular basement membrane and changes in the lens epithelial layers were analyzed from specular images of these areas by image processing. Results and considerations from the investigations were: (1) Initial lens changes in cases with AD which may be occult cataractous findings were often detectable. (2) Cataract associated with AD can be accelerated by steroid administration or the habit of strongly rubbing the eyelid, but this may not be the original cause of cataract formation. (3) Two types of cataract are seen in patients with AD: (a) anterior subcapsular plaque formation and (b) anterior and posterior subcapsular opacity formation. The latter type, however, is also accompanied by epithelial damage from the early stage. (4) Significant numbers of patients with AD who have not yet shown manifest lens changes were found among the subjects.     

A comparative study on the efficacies of ritipenem acoxil and cefotiam hexetil in bacterial pneumonia by the double-blind method

To objectively evaluate the efficacy, safety and usefulness of the newly developed penem oral antibiotic, ritipenem acoxil (RIPM-AC), against bacterial pneumonia, we conducted a multi-center double-blind comparative study using cefotiam hexetil (CTM-HE) as the control drug. Both RIPM-AC and CTM-HE were orally administered at 200 mg t.i.d. for 14 days, in principle. The results were as follows: The total number of patients enrolled in this trial was 208, of which 152 cases (RIPM-AC group: 73, CTM-HE group: 79) were evaluable for clinical efficacy. 1. The clinical efficacy rates (excellent + good) were 91.8% (67/73) in the RIPM-AC group and 94.9% (75/79) in the CMT-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups, and the clinical equivalency of RIPM-AC to CTM-HE was demonstrated. 2. In the patients enrolled in the evaluation of clinical efficacy, the eradication rates of the causative organisms were 84.6% (22/26) in the RIPM-AC group and 91.7% (22/24) in the CTM-HE group, with no significant difference between the two groups. 3. Side effects were noted in 9 cases (9.6%) of the RIPM-AC group and 5 cases (4.9%) of the CTM-HE group. Abnormal laboratory test findings were observed in 23 cases (26.7%) of the RIPM-AC group and 15 cases (15.6%) of the CTM-HE group. There was no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of side effects nor of abnormal laboratory test findings. In the safety evaluation, RIPM-AC was judged to be safe in 64 cases (68.1%) and CTM-HE in 82 cases (80.4%), with no significant difference. 4. The usefulness rates (markedly useful+useful) were 86.5% (64/74) in the RIPM-AC group and 92.5% (74/80) in the CTM-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Since RIPM-AC showed clinical efficacy similar to those of CTM-HE and posed no particular safety problems, it is expected to be a useful antibiotic for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia.