Neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy based on chemosensitivity tests for locally invasive bladder cancer

We investigated the clinical usefulness of individualization of chemotherapeutic regimen in neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy for locally invasive bladder cancer. Anticancer drugs were selected according to the results of an in vitro chemosensitivity test (collagen matrix assay or succinic dehydrogenase inhibition test). Nine patients with locally invasive bladder cancer received 1 to 4 courses of neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy, followed by radical cystectomy. Histopathological responses in the cystectomized specimens were grade 3 in 3 cases, grade 2 in 2, grade 1b in 2 and no response in 2. Pathologically, a complete response and downstaging were observed in 3 and 4 cases, respectively. Seven of the 9 patients were alive no evidence of disease with a mean follow-up period of 38.9 months, whereas 2 patients died of metastasis within 2 years. Six of the 7 patients who showed a complete response or down staging have been free of recurrence. These findings suggest that our chemotherapeutic strategy may improve the prognosis for locally invasive bladder cancer.     

Catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1-chlorooctadecane, 9,10-dichlorostearic acid, and 12,14-dichlorodehydroabietic acid in supercritical carbon dioxide

Kinetic and thermodynamic analyses of catalytic hydrodechlorinations in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) were performed using 5% Pd supported on γ-Al₂O₃. The selected standard compounds used for the study represented chlorinated wood resins commonly found in pitch deposits; 1-chlorooctadecane (C₁₈-Cl), 9,10-dichlorostearic acid (Stearic-Cl₂), and 12,14-dichlorodehydroabietic acid (DHA-Cl₂). The reaction utilized isopropanol as a hydrogen donor. Pressure, temperature, and the concentrations of isopropanol and palladium were varied to study the effect of each parameter and to optimize the dechlorination yield. The reaction in SC-CO₂ was compared to the one in liquid solvents at atmospheric pressure. By applying a Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model, the rate-determining step of the reaction was deduced to be adsorption of the chlorinated molecules on the palladium surface. The apparent activation energies of the reactions for C₁₈-Cl, Stearic-Cl₂, DHA-Cl₂ were 43±5, 40±7, and 135±7 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively, in SC-CO₂. The relatively high activation energy for DHA-Cl₂ was apparently due to structural differences from the other two compounds. The apparent activation energy of dechlorination of C₁₈-Cl in liquid isopropanol at atmospheric pressure was determined to be 35±3 kJ mol⁻¹, leading to the conclusion that the rate-determining step is the same for this compound in both fluid systems. The enthalpies of desorption of stearic acid and dehydroabietic acid were determined to be 18±2 and 12±2 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. These values being less than half of the apparent activation energies of dechlorination of their corresponding chlorinated compounds indicates that desorption of the dechlorinated products is not the rate-determining step of the reaction. This was consistent with the conclusion that the rate-determining step is adsorption, on the understanding that the reaction mechanism is same in both fluid systems.     

Slow crystallization process from amorphous PbTiO3

The effect of isothermal annealing of amorphous PbTiO₃ at a temperature below the crystallization temperature, T_crys, has been investigated. Time dependent dielectric constant in the annealing process has been observed. From the experimental results, both the existence of the glass transition temperature, T_g, and the steadiness of dielectric constant at room temperature have been established.     

Friction and frictional tracks on thick silica films prepared by vacuum deposition

Friction and frictional tracks on 2 µm thick SiO₂ films evaporated on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrate were investigated. Diamond spherical sliders of radius 30 and 100 µm, respectively, were slid on these coatings under a load of 50 to 200g at a sliding speed of 15 cm min^–1. The static and dynamic friction coefficients for SiO₂ films were found to be 0.1 and 0.06, respectively, depending on the load and radius of the slider. For lower load and small slider radius the tracks on SiO₂ film were groove-like, and whisker-like cracks regularly grew from the edges of the tracks. For higher loads and larger slider radius, semicircular cracks in the film were regularly found behind the slider, but in thicker film (6 µm thick), circular cracks occurred. The origin of these cracks is discussed in terms of a tension zone produced around the contact area between the slider and the substrate under frictional force.     

Lossless broad-band monolithic microwave active inductors

Lossless broadband microwave active inductors for general-purpose use in microwave circuits are proposed, and their characteristics are discussed. These active inductors are composed of a common-source cascode FET and a feedback FET, and operate in a wide frequency range with very low series resistance. Their low-loss characteristics are demonstrated by simulation and experimental results. A maximum Q factor of 65 is obtained. Theoretically, it can reach infinity. The inductance value can be controlled by an external voltage control     

Divider and combiner line-unified FET's as basic circuit functionmodules. I

The purpose is to realize miniaturized and broadband function blocks with very simple configurations for multifunction monolithic microwave circuits. FET-sized combiners and dividers, in phase and out of phase, based on a novel line-unified-FET (LUFET) concept are described and demonstrated. Some effective extensions such as extended combiner LUFETs, magic T LUFETs, and phase inverter LUFETs are also described. The extension of the basic combiner and divider LUFETs allows the realization of various circuit functions in a very small area. The area of fabricated LUFETs is between 0.1 and 0.3 mm², and the operating frequency bandwidth approaches 20 GHz. The LUFET mitigates the size and complexity problems considerably and expands the application of combiners and dividers to various multifunction microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs)     

Measurement of thermal expansivity of low-expansion glasses by interferometric methods: Results of an interlaboratory comparison

An interlaboratory testing program on the measurement of the linear thermal expansion coefficient of low-expansion glasses has been carried out. Three different types of interferometric dilatometers, each located at three different organizations, and two kinds of low-expansion glass materials were selected for the experiments. As a result of the comparison, a reasonable agreement among the different measuring instruments was confirmed, and it was determined that the thermal expansion coefficient for low-expansion glasses can be measured with an accuracy of ±4×10^–8 K^–1 by using commercially available interferometric dilatometers.     

Mmic technology for communication systems

MMIC technology is recently progressing at a rapid rate and is now being applied in communications systems. However, there remain few practical applications. This is mainly due to the high cost of conventional mmics because of the small market size and specialized needs. This paper introduces three new technical approaches that overcome the problems: uniplanar mmic, line unified fet^lufet), and multilayer mmic. Concepts and several examples of these technologies are described. It is shown that these technologies are effective not only for cost reduction but also for increased performance. In addition, one example of system application is described.