Efficient Excitation of Hybrid Modes in a THz Clinotron

Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves - Various regimes of hybrid, bulk-surface, modes being excited in the clinotron oscillator with a sheet electron beam and nonuniform grating...     

Post-lunch nap as a worksite intervention to promote alertness on the job.

A worksite study was conducted to examine whether a 15-min nap during a post-lunch rest period would affect subsequent alertness, performance, and nocturnal sleep in eight factory workers under a 3-week protocol. Subjects were asked to take the nap at 12:30 h on a reclining chair during the nap week, and to remain awake during the no-nap week. The order of these 2 weeks was counterbalanced between the subjects. During the third, follow-up week, each subject determined whether or not she/he would nap. Alertness on the job and nocturnal sleep were assessed using a sleep diary. Wrist activity was also recorded during sleep at night. Choice reaction time task (RT) was performed at 10:00 and 15:00 h every day of the nap week and every other day of the no-nap and follow-up weeks. Perceived alertness was significantly higher in the afternoon after nap than after no nap at the end of the week. Similar effects were observed during the follow-up week where almost half of the subjects napped. No significant differences between the three weeks were found for RT performance or nocturnal sleep. Workers' attitudes toward the nap were favourable. Although further intervention research is required, our results suggest that post-lunch napping may have the potential to promote daytime alertness at work.     

Carbon Nanotubes Grown on the Surface of Cathode Deposit by Arc Discharge

Carbon nanotubes prepared by de arc discharge of graphite electrodes in He and CH₄ gas took markedly different morphology. Thick nanotubes embellished with many carbon nanoparticles were obtained by evaporation under high CH₄ gas pressure and high arc current. Thin and long carbon nanotubes were obtained under a CH₄ gas pressure of 50Torr and an arc current of 20A for the anode with a diameter of 6mm.     

Rapid detection cytomegalovirus pneumonia in recipients of bone marrow transplant: evaluation and comparison of five survey methods for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

To detect cytomegalovirus-associated interstitial pneumonia (CMV-IP) in recipients of BMT in its earliest stage, five CMV methods were assessed for their usefulness using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as the test specimen. Of the 43 cases enrolled in the study, PCR was positive in 12 cases, shell vial in eight, culture in eight and cytology in three. There were no positive cases in in situ hybridization. Based on this result, the 43 cases were classified into four groups: Group 1, three cases: positive in PCR, shell vial and cytology; Group 2, five cases: positive in PCR and shell vial; Group 3, four cases: positive only in PCR; and Group 4, 31 cases: negative in all CMV tests. Cases in Group 1 were judged as having the highest risk of overt CMV-IP. They were successfully treated with a combination of ganciclovir and immunoglobulin. Group 2 was diagnosed as having active CMV infection and ganciclovir monotherapy was effective for these patients. Groups 3 and 4 were not given anti-CMV therapy, but they were free from CMV-related manifestations throughout the study. The sensitivity and specificity of each survey method for the detection of Groups 1 and 2 were 1.0 and 0.89 in PCR, 1.0 and 1.0 in shell vial, 0.88 and 1.0 in culture, and 0.38 and 1.0 in cytology. Similarly, the positive and negative predictive values were 0.67 and 1.0 in PCR, 1.0 and 1.0 in shell vial, 1.0 and 0.97 in culture, and 1.0 and 0.88 in cytology. Thus, CMV survey on bronchoalveolar fluid was thought to be useful in detecting post BMT CMV-IP in its earliest stage.     

Three-dimensional display of the bronchi using helical CT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) images of the bronchi obtained using helical CT. Thirteen patients with lung cancer, one with tracheal diverticulum, and one with bronchial amyloidosis were examined. The CT scanner employed was the Toshiba Xforce. The helical CT scan cycle consisted of 20 continuous rotations, each requiring 1.5 sec, for a total scanning time of 30 sec. Scans were obtained using a 5-mm X-ray beam width, a 5-mm/1.5 sec couchtop sliding speed, and a 2-mm reconstruction interval. 3D images were reconstructed using a CEMAX VIPstation. The optimal lower and upper threshold CT values for 3D images of the bronchi were -650 and -100 HU, respectively, and 3D images clearly depicted endobronchial lesions. Cartilage crescents were also demonstrated, but longitudinal and circular mucosal folds could not be visualized. In conclusion, 3D images of the bronchi acquired using helical CT were useful in evaluating endobronchial lesions.     

Use of a YAP1 overexpression cassette conferring specific resistance to cerulenin and cycloheximide as an efficient selectable marker in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Drug-resistance markers for yeast transformation are useful because they can be applied to strains without auxotrophic mutations. However, they are susceptible to technical difficulties, namely lower transformation efficiency and the appearance of drug-resistant mutants without the marker. To avoid these problems, we have constructed a phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) promoter-driven YAP1 expression cassette, called PGKp-YAP1. Yeast cells containing PGKp-YAP1 were resistant to cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, and also to cerulenin, a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor, but not to other drugs tested. The transformation efficiency of PGKp-YAP1 using cerulenin selection was comparable to that using a URA3 auxotrophic marker when low concentrations of cerulenin were used. Non-transformed drug-resistant colonies did appear on the low-concentration cerulenin plates. However, these non-transformed colonies could easily be identified, based on their cycloheximide sensitivity and/or their resistance to aureobasidin A to which the transformants were sensitive. Therefore, the dual drug resistance of PGKp-YAP1 could be used as an effective selection for PGKp-YAP1 recipient cells. The PGKp-YAP1 marker was used to disrupt the LYS2 gene and to transform an industrial yeast strain, indicating that this marker can be used for efficient and reliable gene manipulations in any Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.     

MITI projects on recycling

MITI has actively done R&D on industrial technology for waste and reclamation and so there are many research items from small scale to large scale. However, Ecofactory and researches on recycling of metallic materials are introduced here. Ecofactory was proposed by the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory and is now at the stage of the Leading Research, a new research scheme in AISt. Researches on recycling of metallic materials are being done with subsidy. Those researches should contribute to both the preservatin of the global environment and effective recycling of waste materials.Abbreviations AIST Agency of Industrial Science and Technology - MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry - NEDO New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization     

R & D Needs - Drying of Ceramics

New research and development needs for the drying of ceramics are prooosed. The researches on the ceramic drying are briefly reviewed and the role of the drying in the ceramic production process iS summarized. The drying must deal with molded materials and the problem is of significant difference from another drying with particulate materials. It means that the drying must be performed with keeping the molded feature and the insufficient completion of drying and the careless operation influence directly on the product quality The importnance of the R & D on the heat and moisture transfer. shrinking mechanism. the deformation behavior and the strain-stress formation in the molded clay issuggested. The subjects are also pointed out for the further improvement of the ceramic drying process and the precise design of molding with high quality.     

Percutaneous lumbar nucleotomy

The nature of the events whereby the reactive intermediates resulting from the bioactivation of bromobenzene and furosemide induce hepatotoxicity is unknown. To examine a role for disturbances in intracellular calcium homeostasis, secondary to a depletion in cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and reduced protein thiols (PSHs), isolated mouse hepatocytes were exposed to cytotoxic concentrations of bromobenzene or furosemide. Cytosolic calcium concentration, as well as thiol status, was determined. The incubation of hepatocytes with 3.0 mM bromobenzene, and subsequent additions (1.2 mM) of the agent every hour, resulted in significant GSH depletion. The loss of plasma membrane integrity at 1.5 h preceded both a rise in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and depletion of total PSH content. Furosemide (1.0 mM) produced a 70% depletion in cellular GSH content in isolated hepatocytes. The initiation of cell damage occurred concurrently with both a rise in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and a depletion of total PSH content 4 h following furosemide addition. Since the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ did not precede cytotoxicity, these results do not support an initiating role for Ca2+ deregulation in bromobenzene and furosemide hepatotoxicities. In addition, depletion of PSH content did not correlate with bromobenzene- or furosemide-induced cytotoxicity.