Slowing and stopping of chemical waves in a narrowing canal

The propagation of a chemical wave in a narrow, cone-shaped glass capillary was investigated. When a chemical wave propagates from the wider end to the narrower end, it slows, stops, and then disappears. A phenomenological model that considers the surface effect of the glass is proposed, and this model reproduces the experimental trends.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Molecular mechanisms linking wound inflammation and fibrosis: knockdown of osteopontin leads to rapid repair and reduced scarring

Previous studies of tissue repair have revealed osteopontin (OPN) to be up-regulated in association with the wound inflammatory response. We hypothesize that OPN may contribute to inflammation-associated fibrosis. In a series of in vitro and in vivo studies, we analyze the effects of blocking OPN expression at the wound, and determine which inflammatory cells, and which paracrine factors from these cells, may be responsible for triggering OPN expression in wound fibroblasts. Delivery of OPN antisense oligodeoxynucleotides into mouse skin wounds by release from Pluronic gel decreases OPN protein levels at the wound and results in accelerated healing and reduced granulation tissue formation and scarring. To identify which leukocytic lineages may be responsible for OPN expression, we cultured fibroblasts in macrophage-, neutrophil-, or mast cell–conditioned media (CM), and found that macrophage- and mast cell–secreted factors, specifically platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), induced fibroblast OPN expression. Correspondingly, Gleevec, which blocks PDGF receptor signaling, and PDGF-Rβ–neutralizing antibodies, inhibited OPN induction by macrophage-CM. These studies indicate that inflammation-triggered expression of OPN both hinders the rate of repair and contributes to wound fibrosis. Thus, OPN and PDGF are potential targets for therapeutic modulation of skin repair to improve healing rate and quality

Learning Resources in Higher Education in the 21st Century : What Will Happen and Why(Second Session "Learning Resources in the Coming Century: Facilitating Open and Flexible Learning in Higher Education",AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM\u2797 HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 21st CENTURY -BRINGING TODAY\u27S EDUCATION INTO THE HI-TECH WORLD OF TOMORROW-)

The Digital Revolution and the new economics that accompanies it is changing the nature of education-what is taught, how it is taught, and how the learning resources to teach it are produced. The technologies of interactive multimedia, hypertext, and networking, aided by superdistribution, are making radically new kinds of learning possible and creating the phenomenon of teleteaching. The task of creating learning resources is shifting from the individual instructor to the software developer. All this is changing the nature of the university, dissolving departmental boundaries and emphasizing human interaction over the direct inculcation of subject matter. The Ministry of Education, assisted by NIME, must ensure a quality education for each student in the face of these changes

Backscattered Electron Imaging and Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis Studies of Evidence for Calcium Salt Heterogeneity in Fifteen Gallstones from an Elderly Human

We examined 15 variably-sized gallstones, taken from an elderly male, by backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis to learn the structural and distribution patterns of gallstone calcium (Ca-) salts. Of the 13 cholesterol-rich stones, nine stones had peripheral concentric layers of Ca-carbonate, whereas 2 stones had peripheral layers of Ca-phosphate. No Ca-salts were detected from 2 cholesterol-rich stones. The 2 stones containing Ca-phosphate had no Ca-salt cores, whereas the stones containing Ca-carbonate were separated into 3 different types: two stones with a Ca-carbonate core, four stones with several Ca-bilirubinate cores of glass-like structure, and 3 stones lacking Ca-salt cores. A closer view of the Ca-salt layers, which may be occasionally coexistent with Ca-bilirubinate, mainly showed either laminate deposits or numerous globules with a few laminae. Of the 2 cholesterol-poor stones, one had dispersed particles mainly of Ca-phosphate, and the other had loosely dispersed particles with small amounts of Ca-phosphate, bilirubinate, and/or palmitate. Some relationship between the size and Ca-salt species of these gallstones was suggested. Gallstones collected from the same individual showed a considerable heterogeneity of Ca-salts

β-1,4-ガラクトース転移酵素遺伝子欠損マウスでは白血球浸潤が減少し創傷治癒が遅延した

取得学位 : 博士（医学）, 学位授与番号 : 医博甲第1633号, 学位授与年月日 : 平成16年3月25日, 学位授与大学 : 金沢大