Hepatoblastoma in an adult associated with c-met proto-oncogene imbalance

A rare case of hepatoblastoma in a 61-year-old Japanese housewife is described. This liver tumor mainly consisted of two tissue components: embryonal hepatocytes and primitive mesenchymal tissue. Fetal hepatocytes with alpha-fetoprotein production, gland formation, cartilage and osteoid were also found in a small portion. Molecular analysis by slot blot method revealed increased copy numbers of c-met and K-sam proto-oncogenes and cyclin D1 genes. These findings suggest that alterations of these oncogenes might play a role in the development of adult hepatoblastoma.     

Effect of chromium content on remarkably rapid nitriding in austenitic Fe-Ni-Cr alloys

Remarkably rapid nitriding which is independent of diffusion theory based on the thermal activation process, was observed during nitriding of austenitic Fe-Ni-Cr steels containing 16 and 19 mass% chromium. Increase of the chromium content in the alloys yielded increasing thickness of the nitrided layer, i.e. the internal nitriding theory did not hold in the nitriding. No rapid nitriding was observed in steels containing less than 13 mass% chromium. Hence the limiting concentration of chromium for the rapid nitriding will lie between 13 and 16 mass% chromium. A solution to the problem of abnormalities arising during nitriding of practical austenitic stainless steels which have been investigated since 1972, has been presented experimentally by nitriding various chromium-containing steels. Based on the experimental results, the origin of the rapid nitriding is discussed in connection with the free-energy function of Cr₂N and CrN to temperature. In particular, a plateau of nitrogen concentration measured in the nitrided layers leads to the conclusion that a forced nitrogen diffusion in the layer resulted in the rapid nitriding.     

Light scattering studies on crystallization in polyethylene terephthalate

The light scattering from the spherulites of polyethylene terephthalate grown near the glass transition temperature has been investigated. The Hv scattering profiles can be reproduced by the sum of the ideal spherulite scattering with the distribution of spherulite radius and the isotropic scattering from randomly oriented crystallites. The ratio of optical anisotropies in the isotropic scattering to the ideal spherulite scattering is obtained by the method established to eliminate the effects of the number density of spherulites and the coefficient depending on the experimental conditions. It is found that the anisotropy ratio is almost independent of the crystallization time and of temperature above 106 °C, while it is larger at a crystallization temperature of 103 °C. The spherulitic structure is discussed in terms of the anisotropy ratio.     

Liquefaction of subbituminous coals under apparently non-hydrogenative conditions

Reactivities of several coals of different ranks have been examined in degrading extractions with aromatic solvents under apparently non-hydrogenative reaction conditions. Pyrene and A240 pitch liquefied the fusible coals in high yields and the slightly-fusible coals in moderate yields, indicating the importance of fusibility in such liquefaction processes. A240-LS pitch is a powerful solvent for slightly-fusible coals. Considerable amounts of pyridine- or THF-soluble fractions were produced especially with A240-LS pitch. A240 pitch is a better solvent than pyrene for some slightly-fusible coals. However, the extent of depolymerization of liquefied coal, pyridine- or THF-solubility, was definitely inferior. Yields of such fractions are higher for lower-rank coals. The mechanism of coal liquefaction under apparently non-hydrogenative conditions is discussed with emphasis on the stabilization of thermal fragments derived from the coal.     

Sensorless Position Control Using Feedforward Internal Force for Completely Restrained Parallel-Wire-Driven Systems

Generally, point-to-point control for a completely restrained (CR) parallel-wire-driven system requires a balancing internal force to prevent slackening of wires, along with a feedback term based on some displacement sensor. This paper specifically describes CR systems' internal force properties, then presents the possibility of motion convergence at a desired position when the internal force balancing at a position is given as sensorless feedforward input. Subsequently, we use the property of internal force positively for sensorless position control. This positioning method is applicable for low-cost manipulation, which does not require high accuracy, and for emergency positioning of systems when sensors malfunction.     

Viral interleukin 10 (IL-10), the human herpes virus 4 cellular IL-10 homologue, induces local anergy to allogeneic and syngeneic tumors

After the cloning of murine cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor, it was recognized that a homologous open reading frame was encoded within the Epstein-Barr virus (human herpes virus 4). This viral protein has now been termed viral interleukin 10 (vIL-10) to reflect its protein sequence homology to "cellular" IL-10 (cIL-10, either murine or human IL-10). It is now widely accepted that vIL-10 shares many functions with cIL-10, principally, the ability to enhance survival of newly infected B cells and to diminish the production of IFN-gamma and IL-2 during ongoing immune reactions. The immunomodulatory effect of locally secreted vIL-10 and murine IL-10 (mIL-10) was examined in tumor models using CL8-1 (a BL6 melanoma cell line transfected with the H-2Kb class I gene) in syngeneic animals. Although parental BL6 tumor cells grow in immunocompetent syngeneic hosts, CL8-1 are rejected. To achieve local secretion of vIL-10, we generated vIL-10 retroviral vectors. While nontransduced CL8-1 cells (1 x 10(4)) failed to grow when injected intradermally in C57BL/6 mice, CL8-1 cells (1 x 10(4)) transduced with vIL-10 formed palpable tumors and eventually killed 80% of injected animals. Suppression of tumor rejection was also noted when CL8-1 tumors with or without vIL-10 transfection were admixed with syngeneic vIL-10-transfected fibroblasts and inoculated. Since the in vitro proliferation of the tumor was not altered after transduction with the vIL-10 gene and injection of vIL-10-transduced CL8-1 does not affect the rejection of nontransduced CL8-1 inoculated at a distant site, local vIL-10 secretion appears to suppress the process of immune rejection of the target cells in a dose-dependent manner. Similar results were observed for the H-2b MCA105 sarcoma tumor model in allogeneic BALB/c mice (H-2d). Although all animals that received nontransfected MCA105 rapidly rejected these tumors, MCA105 sarcomas transfected with vIL-10 remained palpable for up to 37 d. The local immunosuppressive effect of gene-delivered vIL-10 could be neutralized by anti-human IL-10 monoclonal antibody or could be reversed by the systemic administration of IL-2 or IL-12. In marked contrast, mIL-10 transfection of CL8-1 significantly suppressed tumor growth and frequently led to the rejection of tumor. Similar results were obtained for the murine tumor cell lines MCA102.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Calcium can disrupt the SNARE protein complex on sea urchin egg secretory vesicles without irreversibly blocking fusion

The homotypic fusion of sea urchin egg cortical vesicles (CV) is a system in which to correlate the biochemistry and physiology of membrane fusion. Homologues of vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP), syntaxin, and SNAP-25 were identified in CV membranes. A VAMP and syntaxin immunoreactive band at a higher apparent molecular mass (approximately 70 kDa) was detected; extraction and analysis confirmed that the band contained VAMP, SNAP-25, and syntaxin. This complex was also identified by immunoprecipitation and by sucrose gradient analysis. VAMP in the complex was insensitive to proteolysis by tetanus toxin. All criteria identify the SNARE complex as that described in other secretory systems. Complexes exist pre-formed on individual CV membranes and form between contacting CV. Most notably, CV SNARE complexes are disrupted in response to [Ca2+]free that trigger maximal fusion. N-Ethylmaleimide, which blocks fusion at or before the Ca2+-triggering step, blocks complex disruption by Ca2+. However, disruption is not blocked by lysophosphatidylcholine, which transiently arrests a late stage of fusion. Since removal of lysophosphatidylcholine from Ca2+-treated CV is known to allow fusion, complex disruption occurs independently from the membrane fusion step. As Ca2+ disrupts rather than stabilizes the complex, the presumably coiled-coil SNARE interactions are not needed at the time of fusion. These findings rule out models of fusion in which SNARE complex formation goes to completion ("zippers-up") after Ca2+ binding removes a "fusion-clamp."     

Chemical response of Picea glehnii seed-epiphytic Penicillium species to Pythium vexans under in vitro competitive conditions for mycelial growth

The potential protection of Picea glehnii seedlings from damping-off by seed-epiphytic Penicillium species was investigated. We studied the chemical response of seed-epiphytic Penicillium species (Pen. cyaneum, Pen. damascenum, and Pen. implicatum) to Pythium vexans, a damping-off fungus, in vitro. Penicillium species were cultured singly or cocultured with Pyt. vexans for 14 or 18 d, and mycelial growth, pH of culture filtrate, antifungal activity of the culture filtrate against Pyt. vexans, and the amount of antifungal compound produced by each Penicillium species, were examined. The filtrate of both the single culture of Penicillium and the coculture of Penicillium and Pyt. vexans showed antifungal activity against Pyt. vexans. In a coculture with Pyt. vexans, Pen. cyaneum produced an antifungal compound (patulin) as in the single culture. Pen. damascenum cocultured with Pyt. vexans produced an antifungal compound (citrinin), as it did in the single culture and in larger amounts on day 10. Pen. implicatum produced two antifungal compounds, frequentin and palitantin, and the ratio of frequentin (with higher antifungal activity than palitantin) to palitantin was higher in the coculture with Pyt. vexans than in the single culture. Our results indicate that these Penicillium species have the ability to produce antifungal compounds and to keep antifungal activity under competitive condition with Pyt. vexans. The chemical response of these Penicillium species to Pyt. vexans may contribute to protect P. glehnii seedlings from damage by Pyt. vexans.     

Sensorless point-to-point control for a musculoskeletal tendon-driven manipulator: analysis of a two-DOF planar system with six tendons

Tendon-driven robot utilizes only tensile force (i.e. tension) for motion generation. Therefore, a redundant actuation is characteristically necessary, and then it yields the internal force among tendons. Given the internal force for balance at a desired posture, the musculoskeletal tendon-driven manipulator has the inherent possibility of point-to-point position control without any sensory feedback. However, the motion convergence is strongly governed by the arrangement of tendons.This study analyzes the mathematical conditions of convergence for this sensorless position control by use of a Lyapunov function. Subsequently, targeting the two-link musculoskeletal structure with six tendons, the sufficient conditions for the convergence at desired posture are further defined by employing an approximation of the tendon-length based on a Taylor expansion. Finally, the convergent conditions are verified through simulation and validated via experimental results.     

Nonlinear Earthquake Response Characteristics of a Central Clay Core Rockfill Dam

The effect of the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku earthquake (M_J 7.2), Japan on the Aratozawa dam, which is a 74.4 m high rockfill dam with a central clay core located in the area, was studied with a main focus on the change in the vibration period, shear wave velocity, shear modulus, and pore-water pressure. In a vertical section of the central part of the dam, three sets of 3-component accelerometers and 15 pore water pressure meters were installed. During the main shock, the acceleration exceeded 10 m/s² at the gallery, inducing large shear strains in excess of 10^-3 and a sudden build-up of the excess pore water pressure in the core. Due to the large strains, the shear wave velocity and shear modulus showed a significant decrease from their initial values and the vibration period was elongated. The decreased shear wave velocity gradually recovered toward the end of the main shock, and continued to recover with the passage of time. The full recovery of the wave velocity was found to take at least one year, while the dissipation of the excess pore water pressure proceeded more quickly than the recovery of the wave velocity.