LOX/LH2 propulsion system for launch vehicle upper stage, test results

The test results of small LOX/LH2 engines for two propulsion systems, a pump fed system and a pressure fed system are reported. The pump fed system has the advantages of higher performances and higher mass fraction. The pressure fed system has the advantages of higher reliability and relative simplicity. Adoption of these cryogenic propulsion systems for upper stage of launch vehicle increases the payload capability with low cost. The 1,000 kg thrust class engine was selected for this cryogenic stage. A thrust chamber assembly for the pressure fed propulsion system was tested. It is indicated that it has good performance to meet system requirements

Nuclear g-Factors of the 1229 and 2911 keV Isomers in 143Nd

開始ページ、終了ページ: 冊子体のページ付

Torsional oscillator experiment on superfluid 4He confined in a porous alumina nanopore array

26th International Conferenceon Low Temperature Physics (LT26

Measurement of the CP Violation Parameter sin(2phi_1) in B^0_d Meson Decays

We present a measurement of the Standard Model CP violation parameter sin(2phi_1) based on a 10.5 fb^{-1} data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+e- collider. One neutral B meson is reconstructed in the J/psi K_S, psi(2S) K_S, chi_{c1} K_S, eta_c K_S, J/psi K_L or J/psi pi^0 CP-eigenstate decay channel and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its charged particle decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time interval between the two B-meson decay points, we determine sin(2phi_1) = 0.58 +0.32-0.34 (stat) +0.09-0.10 (syst).Comment: LaTex, 13 pages, 3 figures, submitted to P.R.

Validation of the Burden Index of Caregivers (BIC), a multidimensional short care burden scale from Japan

BACKGROUND: We constructed a concise multidimensional care burden scale that reflects circumstances unique to Japan, with a focus on intractable neurological diseases. We surveyed 646 family caregivers of patients with intractable neurological diseases or stroke using 28 preliminary care burden scale items obtained from qualitative research. The results were used to finalize the feeling of care burden scale (BIC: burden index of caregivers), and verify its reliability and validity. METHODS: The survey was conducted among caregivers providing home health care to patients with intractable neurological diseases (PD [Parkinson's disease], SCD [spinocerebellar degeneration], MSA [multiple system atrophy], and ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]) or CVA (cerebrovascular accident) using a mailed, self-administered questionnaire between November, 2003 and May, 2004. RESULTS: Response rates for neurological and CVA caregivers were 50% and 67%, respectively, or 646 in total (PD, 279; SCD, 78; MSA, 39; ALS, 30; and CVA, 220). Item and exploratory factor analyses led to a reduction to 11 items, comprising 10 items from the 5 domains of time-dependent burden, emotional burden, existential burden, physical burden, and service-related burden; and 1 item on total burden. Examination of validity showed a moderate correlation between each domain of the BIC and the SF-8 (Health related quality of life scale, Short Form-8), while the correlation coefficient of the overall BIC and CES-D was 0.62. Correlation between the BIC and ZBI, a preexisting care burden scale, was high (r = 0.84), while that with the time spent on providing care was 0.47. The ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) by test-retest reliability was 0.83, and 0.68 to 0.80 by individual domain. CONCLUSION: These results show that the BIC, a new care burden scale comprising 11 items, is highly reliable and valid

HuR is exported to the cytoplasm in oral cancer cells in a different manner from that of normal cells

HuR, a ubiquitously expressed member of the Hu protein family that binds and stabilizes an AU-rich element (ARE)-containing mRNAs, is known to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm via several export pathways. When normal cells were treated with heat shock, HuR was exported to the cytoplasm in a chromosome maintenance region 1 (CRM1)-dependent manner. However, in this study, we demonstrate that HuR is exported to the cytoplasm in oral cancer cells even if the cells were treated with the inhibitor of the CRM1-independent export pathway. Immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses showed that HuR existed in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus in oral cancer cells, such as HSC-3 and Ca9.22, but existed entirely inside the nucleus in normal cells. AU-rich element-mRNAs were also exported to the cytoplasm and stabilised in the oral cancer cells, which were inhibited by HuR knockdown. This export of HuR was not affected by at least 7 h of treatment of leptomycin B (LMB), which is an inhibitor of the CRM1-dependent export pathway. These findings suggest that HuR is exported to the cytoplasm in oral carcinoma cells in a different manner from that of normal cells, and is likely to occur through the perturbation of a normal export pathway

In Vivo Diagnostic Imaging Using Micro-CT: Sequential and Comparative Evaluation of Rodent Models for Hepatic/Brain Ischemia and Stroke

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need for animal disease models for pathophysiological research and efficient drug screening. However, one of the technical barriers to the effective use of the models is the difficulty of non-invasive and sequential monitoring of the same animals. Micro-CT is a powerful tool for serial diagnostic imaging of animal models. However, soft tissue contrast resolution, particularly in the brain, is insufficient for detailed analysis, unlike the current applications of CT in the clinical arena. We address the soft tissue contrast resolution issue in this report. METHODOLOGY: We performed contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) on mouse models of experimental cerebral infarction and hepatic ischemia. Pathological changes in each lesion were quantified for two weeks by measuring the lesion volume or the ratio of high attenuation area (%HAA), indicative of increased vascular permeability. We also compared brain images of stroke rats and ischemic mice acquired with micro-CT to those acquired with 11.7-T micro-MRI. Histopathological analysis was performed to confirm the diagnosis by CECT. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the models of cerebral infarction, vascular permeability was increased from three days through one week after surgical initiation, which was also confirmed by Evans blue dye leakage. Measurement of volume and %HAA of the liver lesions demonstrated differences in the recovery process between mice with distinct genetic backgrounds. Comparison of CT and MR images acquired from the same stroke rats or ischemic mice indicated that accuracy of volumetric measurement, as well as spatial and contrast resolutions of CT images, was comparable to that obtained with MRI. The imaging results were also consistent with the histological data. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the CECT scanning method is useful in rodents for both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of pathologic lesions in tissues/organs including the brain, and is also suitable for longitudinal observation of the same animals