Studying Abroad: Japanese Learners of English in an American Setting

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Study Abroad: Japanese Learners of English in an American Setting (Part III)

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Single hook model of fiber figures in card webs

In card webs, many fibers are not straight and generally have hooks or bends. In this study, a one-dimensional fiber figure model is discussed. Using correlation coefficients, a simple classification method for fiber figures is proposed. This method enables us to classify fiber figures into five categories: straight, leading- and trailing-hooked, and leading- and trailing-bent figures. This method is then applied to experimental data. The results indicate that the absolute values of the correlation coefficients of the vector quantities between the measured fiber figures and one of our models are greater than 0.8 in many cases. Thus, our proposed method is viable for the classification of fiber figures in card webs.ArticleTEXTILE RESEARCH JOURNAL. 86(11):1121-1127 (2016)journal articl

Application of a truncated distribution for tsumugi yarn width

Hand-spun, silk yarn made from floss silk is referred to as tsumugi yarn. It gives a unique appearance on the products, also called tsumugi, which are considered to be an important type of fabric for their aesthetics. The essential factor of this visual effect is originated by the thickness variation of tsumugi yarn; however, the detail of the variation is unknown. In this paper, as a fundamental study of tsumugi yarn, its width distribution is discussed. To model the width distribution, the Polya-Eggenberger distribution is introduced. Moreover some modifications are applied for the distribution to describe the yarn's situation. That is to say, it is impossible to be thinner than a level of thickness for the yarn to maintain a shape of a thread; on the other hand, tsumugi yarn is not limited to only containing thicker parts. Additionally, it is unavoidable to involve errors and fluctuations in the actual data. Hence, the distribution is truncated and convoluted. By using an image scanner, the width of tsumugi yarn is measured. With the measured data, the parameters of the width distribution are estimated using the maximum likelihood method. The results show that the width distribution of tsumugi yarn is asymmetric and well summarized by the distribution.ArticleTEXTILE RESEARCH JOURNAL. 85(9):929-935 (2015)journal articl

High plasma concentration of beta-D-glucan after administration of sizofiran for cervical cancer

A 69-year-old woman with a history of cervical cancer was admitted to our hospital for further investigation of abnormal shadows on her chest roentgenogram. Histologic examination of transbronchial lung biopsy specimens revealed epithelioid cell granuloma, and Mycobacterium intracellulare was detected in the bronchial lavage fluid. The plasma level of (1→3)-beta-d-glucan was very high, and this elevated level was attributed to administration of sizofiran for treatment of cervical cancer 18 years previously. Therefore, in patients with cervical cancer, it is important to confirm whether or not sizofiran has been administered before measuring (1→3)-beta-d-glucan levels

Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Activate Lymphoid-Specific Genetic Programs Irrespective of Their Cellular Origin

AbstractThe developmental origin of type I interferon (IFN)-producing plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) is controversial. In particular, the rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) genes in murine PDCs and the expression of pre-T cell receptor α (pTα) gene by human PDCs were proposed as evidence for their “lymphoid” origin. Here we demonstrate that PDCs capable of IFN production develop efficiently from both myeloid- and lymphoid-committed progenitors. Rearranged IgH genes as well as RAG transcripts were found in both myeloid- and lymphoid-derived PDCs. The human pTα transgenic reporter was activated in both myeloid- and lymphoid-derived PDCs at a level comparable to pre-T cells. PDCs were the only cell population that activated murine RAG1 knockin and human pTα transgenic reporters outside the lymphoid lineage. These results highlight a unique developmental program of PDCs that distinguishes them from other cell types including conventional dendritic cells

Suppressive effects of transforming growth factor-beta1 produced by hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines on interferon-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) exerts potent immunosuppressive effects. In this study, we investigated the potential role of TGF-beta1 produced by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines in immunosuppression mechanisms. Using the Mv1Lu cell-growth inhibition assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we detected optimal levels of TGF-beta1 in the culture supernatants conditioned by the HCC cell lines PLC/PRF/5, Hep3B, and HepG2. To determine the biological activity of TGF-beta1 in the supernatants, we examined the effects of the culture supernatants on the production of interferon (IFN)-gamma induced during the culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with interleukin (IL)-12. IFN-gamma production of IL-12-stimulated PBMCs in the 1:1 dilution of the acid-activated conditioned medium of PLC/PRF/5, Hep3B, and HepG2 reduced to 14.7 +/- 0.8, 17.3 +/- 9.0, and 35.9 +/- 14.6%, respectively, compared with the value in the culture with control medium (complete culture medium). These results suggest that HCC cells producing TGF-beta1 may reduce the generation or activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells, and thus could enhance their ability to escape immune-mediated surveillance.</p

A case of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma with malignant phenotypes induced by ZEB1-associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition

A 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Imaging and pathological studies revealed NSCLC, not otherwise specified (NOS), at clinical stage T3N1M0 stage IIIA. We started radiotherapy alone because of obstructive pneumonia and end-stage renal disease, but the tumors progressed rapidly and resulted in death due to air obstruction by pharyngeal metastasis. The cancer was diagnosed as pleomorphic carcinoma in an autopsy. Viable lung tumor cells, which were resistant to radiotherapy, and the pharyngeal metastasis had mesenchymal phenotypes and expressed ZEB1 but not SNAI1. These observations indicated that ZEB1-associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition has malignant features including resistance to radiotherapy and aggressive metastatic potential. ZEB1-associated EMT may be an important mechanism to understand the pathophysiology of pleomorphic carcinoma

Diagnostic Role of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Gastric Mesenchymal Tumors

There have been no comparative studies investigating the results of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with gastric mesenchymal tumors, including leiomyomas, leiomyosarcomas, schwannomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). We retrospectively reviewed the data of 142 patients with pathologically diagnosed gastric mesenchymal tumors treated at 11 institutions. We analyzed the correlation between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) evaluated using fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and the tumor size. The correlation between the SUVmax and mitotic index was also investigated in GISTs. The SUVmax (mean +/- standard deviation) was 0.5 +/- 0.6 in very low-risk GISTs (n = 42), 2.1 +/- 0.7 in low-risk GISTs (n = 26), 4.9 +/- 0.8 in intermediate-risk GISTs (n = 22), 12.3 +/- 0.8 in high-risk GISTs (n = 20), 1.0 +/- 1.0 in leiomyomas (n = 15), 6.9 +/- 1.2 in schwannomas (n = 10), and 3.5 in a leiomyosarcoma (n = 1). The SUVmax of GISTs with an undetermined risk classification was 4.2 +/- 1.3 (n = 8). Linear associations were observed between the SUVmax and tumor size in GISTs, leiomyomas, and schwannomas. The SUVmax of GISTs with a high mitotic index was significantly higher than that of GISTs with a low mitotic index (9.6 +/- 7.6 vs. 2.4 +/- 4.2). In conclusion, we observed positive correlations between the SUVmax and tumor size in GISTs, leiomyomas, and schwannomas. The SUVmax also positively correlated with the mitotic index and risk grade in GISTs. Schwannomas showed a higher FDG uptake than GISTs and leiomyomas

Assessment of a self-assembling peptide gel, SPG-178, in providing a clear operative field for trabeculectomy surgery for glaucoma in an animal model

The presence of blood during ophthalmic surgery is problematic, as it can obstruct a surgeon’s view of the operative field. This is particularly true when performing trabeculectomy surgery to enhance ocular fluid outflow and reduce intraocular pressure as a treatment for glaucoma, one of the most common vision loss conditions worldwide. In this study, we investigated the performance of a transparent, self-assembling peptide gel (SPG-178) and its ability to maintain visibility during trabeculectomy surgery. Unlike the hyaluronic acid gel commonly used in ophthalmic surgery, SPG-178 did not permit the ingress of blood into the gel itself. Rather, it forced blood to flow peripherally to the gel. Moreover, if bleeding occurred under the SPG-178 gel, perfusion with saline was able to effectively flush the blood away along the interface between the SPG-178 and the ocular tissue (in this case scleral) to clear the surgical field of view. In experimental trabeculectomy surgeries with mitomycin C used as an adjuvant, there were no differences in the postoperative recovery of intraocular pressure or bleb morphology with or without the use of SPG-178. SPG-178, therefore, when used in a gel formulation, represents a new material for use in intraocular surgery to ensure a clear operative field with likely beneficial treatment outcomes