Address‐While‐Display technique combined with gas‐discharge AND logic for driving AC‐PDPs

A hybrid AWD/AND drive technique has been developed in which an Address‐While‐Display (AWD) scheme is combined with an AND logic characteristic that gas discharges demonstrate. The AWD technique enables AC‐PDPs to be driven at high luminance, while the AND logic reduces the number of scan drivers by an order of magnitude. A detailed analysis of the addressing operation has been made. The hybrid drive utilizes the AND logic in two ways: (1) a combination of two voltage pulses and (2) a combination of a voltage pulse and discharge‐priming particles. It was found that the addressing operation requires the establishment of a discharge between the scan and data electrodes, and also between the scan and display electrodes.     

The metabolism and distribution of docosapentaenoic acid (n−6) in rats and rat hepatocytes

In this study, a new marine oil that contains 45% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22∶6n−3) and 13% docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22∶5n−6) was administered to rats. The metabolism and distribution of DPA in rats was investigated. In experiment 1, the effects of DHA and n−6 fatty acids (linoleic acid, I A; arachidonic acid, AA; and DPA) on AA contents were investigated in vivo. LA group: LA 25%, DHA 30%; LA-DPA group: LA 15%, DPA 10%, DHA 35%; LA-AA-DPA group: LA 10%, AA 5%, DPA 10%, DHA 35% were administered to rats for 4 wk. In the liver, the AA content in the LA-DPA and LA-AA-DPA groups was significantly higher than in the LA group. The decreased AA contents in the LA group might be caused by DHA administration. Although DHA also was administered in the LA-DPA and LA-AA-DPA groups, the AA contents in these two groups did not decrease. These results suggested that DPA retroconverted to AA, blunting the decrease in AA content caused by DHA administration. To conduct a detailed investigation on DPA metabolism and its relation with AA and DHA, rat hepatocytes were cultured with pruified DPA and DHA for 24 h. We discovered the retroconversion of DPA to AA occurred only when AA content was decreased by a high DHA administration; it did not occur when AA content was maintained at a normal level.     

An immunodominant haptenic epitope of carbamazepine detected in serum from patients given long-term treatment with carbamazepine without allergic reaction

An anticarbamazepine antibody was detected in the serum of a patient with severe carbamazepine-induced serum sickness. We found that the patient's T cells and IgG antibody recognized an epitope which appeared in subjects showing an allergic reaction, as well as that in subjects who showed no allergic reaction, after long-term carbamazepine therapy. These results show that an anti-carbamazepine immune response does not occur in the majority of subjects who undergo long-term carbamazepine therapy without developing allergic symptoms, although the immunodominant haptenic epitope of carbamazepine is present in their sera.     

Susceptibilities of bacteria isolated from patients with lower respiratory infectious diseases to antibiotics (1996)

The bacteria isolated from the patients with lower respiratory tract infections were collected by institutions located throughout Japan, since 1981. Ikemoto et al. have been investigating susceptibilities of these isolates to various antibacterial agents and antibiotics, and characteristics of the patients and isolates from them each year. Results obtained from these investigations are discussed. In 16 institutions around the entire Japan, 557 strains of presumably etiological bacteria were isolated mainly from the sputa of 449 patients with lower respiratory tract infections during the period from October 1996 to September 1997. MICs of various antibacterial agents and antibiotics were determined against 98 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 93 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 84 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 84 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (non-mucoid strains), 17 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (mucoid strains), 31 strains of Moraxella subgenus Branhamella catarrhalis, 21 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae etc., and the drug susceptibilities of these strains were assessed except for those strains that died during transportation. 1) S. aureus S. aureus strains for which MICs of oxacillin (MPIPC) were higher than 4 micrograms/ml (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) accounted for 67.3%. The frequency of the drug resistant bacteria increased comparing to the previous year's 52.7%. Arbekacin (ABK) and vancomycin (VCM) showed the highest activities against both S. aureus and MRSA with MIC80s of 1 microgram/ml. 2) S. pneumoniae Imipenem (IPM) and panipenem (PAPM) of carbapenems showed the most potent activities with MIC80s of 0.063 microgram/ml. Faropenem (FRPM) showed the next potent activity with MIC80 of 0.125 microgram/ml. The other drugs except erythromycin (EM), clindamycin (CLDM) and tetracycline (TC) were active against S. pneumoniae tested with MIC80s of 8 micrograms/ml or below. 3) H. influenzae The activities of all drugs were potent against H. influenzae tested with MIC80s of 4 micrograms/ml or below. Cefotiam (CTM), cefmenoxime (CMX), cefditoren (CDTR) and ofloxacin (OFLX) showed the most potent activities with MIC80s of 0.063 microgram/ml. 4) P. aeruginosa (mucoid strains) Tobramycin (TOB) showed the most potent activity against P. aeruginosa (mucoid strains) with MIC80 of 1 microgram/ml. Ceftazidime (CAZ), cefsulodin (CFS), IPM, gentamicin (GM), ABK and ciprofloxacin (CPFX) showed the next potent activities, with MIC80s of 2 micrograms/ml. The MIC80s of the other drugs ranged from 4 micrograms/ml to 16 micrograms/ml. 5) P. aeruginosa (non-mucoid strains) TOB and CPFX showed the most potent activities against P. aeruginosa (non-mucoid strains) with MIC80s of 1 microgram/ml. The MIC80s of piperacillin (PIPC) and cefoperazone (CPZ) were 16 micrograms/ml in 1995, and they were 64 micrograms/ml in 1996. 6) K. pneumoniae All drugs except ampicillin (ABPC) were active against K. pneumoniae. CMX, cefpirome (CPR), cefozopran (CZOP) and carumonam (CRMN) showed the most potent activities against K. pneumoniae with MIC80s of 0.125 microgram/ml. The MIC80s of the other drugs ranged from 0.25 microgram/ml to 2 micrograms/ml. 7) M.(B) catarrhalis Against M.(B.) catarrhalis, all drugs showed good activities with MICs of 4 micrograms/ml or below. IPM and minocycline (MINO) showed the most potent activities with MICs of 0.063 microgram/ml. Also, we investigated year to year changes in the characteristics of patients, their respiratory infectious diseases, and the etiology. Patients' backgrounds were examined for 557 isolates from 449 cases. The examination of age distribution indicated that the proportion of patients with ages over 60 years was 71.0% of all the patients showing a slight increase over that in 1994. Proportions of diagnosed diseases were as follows: Bacterial pneumonia and chronic bronchitis were the most frequent with 35.9% and 30.3% respectively. They were followed by bronchiectasis with a proportion of 10.     

Use of bronchopulmonary lavage for eliminating inhaled fume particles from a patient with arc welder's lung

A 42-year-old man, who had worked as a welder for 20 years, was admitted to our hospital complaining of a dry cough. A chest radiograph showed diffuse small nodular shadows and chest computed tomography revealed small patchy opacities. A transbronchial lung biopsy specimen showed welding fume particles mainly located in alveolar space with mild fibrosis of alveolar septa. In order to prevent further fibrosis, bronchopulmonary lavage (BPL) was performed to eliminate the fume particles. The amount of iron particles derived from the total lavage fluid was 911.7 mg.     

Lipoprotein(a) levels in the Japanese population: influence of age and sex, and relation to atherosclerotic risk factors. The Jichi Medical School Cohort Study

The authors studied the distribution of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) levels with stratification for age and sex, as well as the relation between Lp(a) and atherosclerotic risk factors in a large Japanese population between 1992 and 1993. The subjects were 1,235 males and 1,762 females over 30 years old. Lp(a) was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lp(a) levels were higher in females than in males. The increase in Lp(a) with age was statistically significant, and the proportion of subjects with Lp(a) levels > 30 mg/dl also increased with age. In the obese subjects (body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) > 26), Lp(a) levels were lower than in the non-obese subjects (BMI < or = 26) (p < 0.01 in males; p < 0.05 in females). Male alcohol drinkers had lower Lp(a) levels than nondrinkers (p < 0.05). Age, low density lipoprotein subtracting Lp(a) cholesterol [Lp(a) x 0.3], and fibrinogen level were all positively correlated with Lp(a) in both sexes. Alcohol consumption (g/day) and triglycerides were inversely correlated with Lp(a) in males, while total cholesterol subtracting Lp(a) cholesterol [Lp(a) x 0.3], high density lipoprotein, and factor VII were positively correlated in females. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that triglycerides in males and BMI and fibrinogen in females were significant independent variables. The authors conclude that Lp(a) level is affected by various factors, such as alcohol drinking, BMI, sex, and age, and is not only correlated with lipid levels but also with hemostatic factors such as fibrinogen and factor VII.     

Properties and structure of spermidine acetyltransferase in Escherichia coli

Spermidine acetyltransferase (SAT) from Escherichia coli was purified about 40,000-fold. The molecular mass of native SAT was 95 kDa, and it consisted of four identical subunits. The products formed from the reaction of acetyl-CoA with spermidine by SAT were N1- and N8-acetylspermidine. The Km values for acetyl-CoA, spermidine, and spermine were 2 microM, 1.29 mM, and 220 microM, respectively. The enzymatic activity increased by 2.5-3.5-fold under the condition of poor nutrition but not in response to cold shock or high pH. By using synthetic oliogonucleotides deduced from amino acid sequences of the peptides in SAT, a polymerase chain reaction product with a length of 250 nucleotides was obtained. Using this polymerase chain reaction product, the gene encoding SAT (speG) was cloned and mapped at 35.6 min in the E. coli chromosome. E. coli cells transformed with the cloned speG gene increased SAT activity by 8-40-fold. The gene encoded a 186-amino acid protein, but SAT consisted of 185 amino acids because the initiator methionine was liberated from the protein. Thus, the predicted molecular mass was 21,756 Da. Significant similarity to aminoglycoside acetyltransferase and peptide N-acetyltransferase was observed in the amino acid sequence 87-141, and some similarity with spermidine-preferential binding protein (potD protein) in the spermidine-preferential uptake system was observed in the amino acid sequence 122-141. The results suggest that the active center of SAT may be located in the COOH-terminal portion.     

Observation of iron silicide formation by plan-view transmission electron microscopy

The formation and the phase transitions of iron silicide by solid-phase epitaxy have been investigated by means of plan-view transmission electron microscopy, which enables us to observe a clean interface between Fe and Si. Layers of Fe were deposited on Si (100) at room temperature in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. The sample was annealed in the electron microscope at a temperature between 673 and 1073 K. After annealing at 673 K, FeSi crystallites were formed with various orientations. When the annealing temperature was increased to 973 K, we found that the crystallites suddenly started to coalesce into grains of several hundreds of nanometers in size and polycrystalline beta-FeSi2 was formed. These phase transitions were also confirmed with electron energy-loss spectroscopy.     

Porcine enamel matrix derivative enhances the formation of reparative dentine and dentine bridges during wound healing of amputated rat molars

We examined the biological effects of porcine enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) on the formation of reparative dentine and dentine bridges in rat molars after pulp amputation. The pulp chambers of upper molars of Wistar rats were perforated and the amputated pulp surfaces were directly capped with either EMD or its carrier propylene glycol alginate (PGA) as control. The cavities were then restored with glass-ionomer cement. On post-amputation days 4-30, the dissected maxillae were examined by light and electron microscopy. In PGA-capped pulp, reparative dentine had been formed over the dentine walls under the prepared cavity on day 7 post-amputation and its thickness extended until day 30. On day 30, as well as reparative dentine formation, diffuse calcification had occurred beneath the amputated wound surfaces. Dentine bridge formation under the amputated coronal pulp surface was observed in 18.2% of amputated pulp on day 30. In EMD-capped pulp, reparative dentine had already been formed by odontoblast-like cells over the dentine walls, already on day 4 post-amputation, and its thickness extended until day 30. The Ca and P weight % and Ca/P ratio of reparative dentine matrix were similar to those of pre-existing dentine matrix, and these values were not different between PGA and EMD-capped pulp. Dentine bridge formation was observed in 27.3% of EMD-capped pulp on day 30. Our results suggest that EMD enhances the formation of both reparative dentine and dentine bridges during wound healing of amputated rat molar pulp.     

Improvement of flatness error in milling plate-shaped workpiece by application of side-clamping force

To improve flatness error of plate-shaped workpieces in milling under side clamp holding mechanisms, appropriate magnitudes of clamping forces and method of application are studied in this paper. The effect of side-clamping force on workpiece deformation is investigated by experimental and computational analyses for the case where the workpiece is clamped at a position higher than the neutral plane of bending of the plate-shaped workpiece. It is found that the thermal deformation and elastic deformation caused by clamping force are in two opposite directions. Then, an appropriate method is proposed to compensate for the workpiece thermal deformation caused by cutting heat with the opposite elastic deformation caused by the side-clamping force, so as to keep the machined top surface of the workpiece flat as much as possible. The proposed method has been confirmed through computational analyses and experiments. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.