Breed differences in the histochemical properties of the M. pubo-ischio-femoralis pars medialis myofibre of domestic cocks

1. Histochemical properties of M. pubo-ischio-femoralis pars medialis (PIF muscle) were compared in 7 breeds of cocks. This muscle was largely composed of Type I fibres and their transitional form (Type I tr). Type IIA fibres were observed in the cranial part. 2. The weight and cross-sectional area of the PIF muscle increased with increasing body weight. However, the relative muscle development to body weight differed among the 7 breeds. 3. A quarter of Type I fibres were of the transitional variety in bantam fowls. Conversely, few, if any, Type I tr fibres were observed in the large breeds where the muscle was poorly developed. 4. As the histochemical properties of Type I fibres made an effective response to the different body weights and the relative PIF muscle development among breeds, it was concluded that PIF muscle performed an important function in supporting the body weight and maintaining posture.     

Serum rheumatoid factor induced by intraperitoneal administration of periodontopathic bacterial lipopolysaccharide in mice

Serum rheumatoid factor (RF) level and peritoneal and splenic CD5+B (B-1) cells in mice were examined after intraperitoneal administration of purified lipopoly-saccharides (LPS) from oral periodontopathic bacteria; Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Capnocytophaga ochracea. F. nucleatum and C. ochracea LPS induced higher levels of serum IgM- and IgG-RF, while P. gingivalis LPS showed the least induction. In addition, wet weights of spleen and serum IgM and IgG concentration were markedly increased in F. nucleatum LPS injected group. On the other hand, the proportion of CD5+ B cells to lymphocytes in the peritoneal cavity and spleen did not increase. The reason for this was not clear but conventional B cells (CD5- B cells) might increase more rapidly with splenic enlargement than CD5+ B cells. These results suggested that RF induced by bacterial LPS may modulate immune responses against bacteria and plays an important role for defence and destruction of periodontal tissue.     

Pulmonary sequestration receiving arterial supply from the right coronary artery. A case report

Pulmonary sequestration is a relatively rare anomaly. The arterial supply usually is derived from the aorta or its major branches. We present a 65-year-old female patient with pulmonary sequestration receiving arterial supply from the right coronary artery, complicated with sick sinus syndrome.     

Rates for intramolecular excimer formation of poly(α-methylstyrene) measured by using picosecond pulse radiolysis

Summary The rate constants for intramolecular excimer formation, k_DM, of poly(α-methylstyrene) with different molecular weight were determined by using picosecond pulse radiolysis. Values of k_DM for poly(α-methylstyrene) are a little smaller than those for polystyrene with nearly same molecular weight. It appears to be mainly due to steric hindrance by methyl substituent of main chain.     

Extracellular matrix of opacified anterior capsule after endocapsular cataract surgery

BACKGROUND: We determined the types and distribution of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagens, in anterior capsular opacification after endocapsular phacoemulsification and aspiration (ECPEA) and intraocular lens implantation. METHODS: Opacified anterior capsules were removed from human eyes after ECPEA. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine GAGs with monoclonal antibodies to chondroitin, chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S), chondroitin-6-sulfate (C6S), dermatan sulfate (DS), and keratan sulfate (KS); collagens with monoclonal antibodies to types I, II, and III collagens; and cellular characteristics with monoclonal antibodies to vimentin, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and cytokeratin. Decorin mRNA and type I collagen mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: In the capsules, the C6S, DS, KS, and types I and III collagens were similar to the chemical components found at the adhesion site of the anterior and posterior capsules after extracapsular cataract extraction, and cellular components contained vimentin, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, cytokeratin, decorin mRNA, and type I collagen mRNA. CONCLUSIONS: The GAGs and collagens in opacified anterior capsule after ECPEA were similar to those found during wound healing, although KS is present in normal anterior segment tissue during development and only in the cornea postnatally. These chemical components may be produced by myofibroblast-like cells presumably transformed from lens epithelial cells.     

Crosslinking of amidated polybutadiene with resole. I

Various liquid polybutadiene derivatives were examined as modifiers to improve the brittleness of phenolic resins. Amidated polybutadienes obtained from a maleinated polybutadiene and ammonia had the highest curing tendency when they were reacted with resole under mild conditions. The cured resins were homogeneous and the brittleness of the phenolic resins was remarkably improved. Crosslinking efficiency was closely related to the succinamic acid group of the amidated polybutadiene. Thermal behavior of the succinamic acid group was also related to the effects of curing temperature and curing time on crosslinking. From these observations, cross-condensation between the succinamic acid group of an amidated polybutadiene and resole seemed to have occurred to a great extent than the self-condensation of resole itself and oxidative crosslinking of the amidated polybutadiene.     

Nonlinear repetitive control with application to trajectory control of manipulators

In this article, a new control scheme named repetitive control is proposed for a class of nonlinear systems described by x(t) = Ax(t) + Bu(t) + n(x(t)) and y(t) = Cx(t), in which the controlled variables follow periodic reference commands. The stability condition is derived by applying the passivity theorem. We show how to apply the repetitive control scheme to the trajectory control of a manipulator. A simple repetitive control scheme is developed for the trajectory control of a manipulator by using nonlinear compensation and feedbacks of position and velocity signals. Experimental results for a three link manipulator verify that the proposed repetitive control reduces the tracking error to a very low level.     

Reduced order model predictive control for constrained discrete‐time linear systems

A reduced order model predictive control (MPC) is discussed for constrained discrete‐time linear systems. By employing a decomposition method for finite‐horizon linear systems, an MPC law is obtained from a reduced order optimization problem. The decomposition enables us to construct pairs of initial state and control sequence which have large influence on system responses, and it also characterizes the standard LQ control. The MPC law is obtained based on a combination of the LQ control and dominant input sequences over the prediction horizon. The proposed MPC method is illustrated with numerical examples. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability of tetragonal ZrO2 phase in Al2O3 prepared from Zr-Al organometallic compounds

Zr-Al organometallic compounds have been spray-dried and heated at temperatures 600 to 1400°C to prepare ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ composite powders. The powders consist of balloon-like particles 0.5 to 2 m in diameter with homogeneously dispersed tetragonal ZrO₂ grains 0.1 to 0.2 m in diameter. The tetragonal fraction of ZrO₂ in the composite powders is higher than that in the powders prepared from sols of Zr(OBuⁿ)₄ and Al[OCH(CH₃)₂]₃. The fraction is affected by the organofunctional group in the Zr-Al compounds.Zr(OBuⁿ)₄ = Zr(OC₄Hgⁿ)₄; Al[OCH(CH₃)₂]₃ = Al(OPrⁱ)₃.     

Taxonomy for protective ability of rust layer using its composition formed on weathering steel bridge

For a quantitative evaluation of the protectiveness of a rust layer formed on a weathering steel bridge, the relationship between the corrosion rate of the bridge and the composition of the rust layers formed on the girders was first investigated. These corrosion rates were clearly classified by the protective ability index (PAI) of α/γ^∗ and (β + s)/γ^∗, where α, γ^∗, β and s are the mass ratio of crystalline α-FeOOH, the total of γ-FeOOH, β-FeOOH and the spinel-type iron oxide (mainly Fe₃O₄), β-FeOOH and spinel-type iron oxide, analyzed by XRD, respectively. The inequality of the former index α/γ^∗ > 1 expressed the protectiveness criterion of the rust layer, while that of the latter index, (β + s)/γ^∗< 0.5 or > 0.5, classified the corrosion rate of the non-protective rust layer. The PAI is useful for a quantitative evaluation of the protectiveness of a rust layer formed on a weathering steel bridge and is an important item for the corrosion assessment of the bridge.