Effect of pyridoxine treatment of a homocystinuric patient on the urinary excretion of some sulfur-containing amino acids

The effect of pyridoxine treatment of a homocystinuric patient on the urinary excretion of some sulfur-containing amino acids was studied and the following results were obtained. As a result of pyridoxine treatment, urinary homocystine decreased to a fairly great extent, and its unusual metabolites S.(3-hydroxy-3-carboxyn- propylthio) homocysteine (HCPTHC) and S-C8-carboxyethylthio homocysteine (j3-CETHC) increased to some extent. But its oxidation product (homocysteic acid) showed a tendency to decrease slightly. Urinary methionine and cystine increased to some extent, but cysteinehomocysteine mixed disulfide showed no remarkable change.</p

Composite-type Rb-87 optical-pumping light source for the rubidium frequency standard

The light source is composed of a cylindrical Rb-87 lamp 10 mm diameter and a Rb-85 filter cell 3-7 mm long attached to the front flat face of the lamp. This composite type device is operated in an oven at about 100 C. Thus a light source for Rb-87 hyperfine optical pumping less than 4 cm long by 3 cm diameter was constructed

Diagnostic and Interactive Use of PMM by Japanese Local Governments: Does the Context Affect the Fitness of Use?

Efforts to “reinvent” government have emphasized the importance of performance measurement and management (PMM) systems to improve government operations. Although it seems clear why organizations adopt PMM systems, less is known about their actual consequences. This study, using a survey to Japanese local government departments, explores whether different uses of PMM and their interaction with the context (predictability and bureaucratic culture) can affect the impact of PMM on organizational performance. Results show that using PMM, not only having it, is not enough to generate performance improvements. It is shown that the fitness of use to the local government context is the way to foster performance. A strong bureaucratic culture shows a positive relation with performance in the Japanese setting

Degenerative cervical spine changes among early career fighter pilots : a 5-year follow-up

Introduction Degenerative changes of the cervical spine often cause disability and flight duty limitations among Finnish Air Force (FINAF) fighter pilots. We aimed to study the effect of +Gz exposure on degenerative changes in the cervical spine by comparing cervical MRIs of FINAF fighter pilots and controls. Methods At baseline, the volunteer study population consisted of 56 20-year-old FINAF male fighter pilots (exposure group) and 56 21-year-old Army and Navy cadets (control group). Both groups underwent MRI of the cervical spine at the baseline and after 5 years. Degenerative changes evaluated using MRI included intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (Pfirrmann classification), disc herniations, uncovertebral arthrosis, Schmorl’s nodes, Modic changes, spinal canal stenosis, kyphosis and scoliosis. Results The degree of IVD degeneration in the whole cervical spine increased significantly in both populations with no between-group differences. The prevalence of disc herniations also tended to increase in both populations with no difference in the incidence over the follow-up. However, pilots proved to have more disc herniations at the baseline and at the follow-up. There were virtually no between-group differences in other assessed degenerative changes. Discussion We found that IVD degeneration and the prevalence of disc herniations increased at a similar rate for fighter pilots and non-flying military students when all cervical levels were summed up. The lack of difference may be explained by the relatively low cumulative +Gz exposure during the first 5 years of a pilots’ career

Three-dimensional bulk band dispersion in polar BiTeI with giant Rashba-type spin splitting

In layered polar semiconductor BiTeI, giant Rashba-type spin-split band dispersions show up due to the crystal structure asymmetry and the strong spin-orbit interaction. Here we investigate the 3-dimensional (3D) bulk band structures of BiTeI using the bulk-sensitive $h\nu$-dependent soft x-ray angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES). The obtained band structure is shown to be well reproducible by the first-principles calculations, with huge spin splittings of ${\sim}300$ meV at the conduction-band-minimum and valence-band-maximum located in the $k_z=\pi/c$ plane. It provides the first direct experimental evidence of the 3D Rashba-type spin splitting in a bulk compound.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Invisibility cloaking based on geometrical optics for visible light

Optical cloaking has been one of unattainable dreams and just a subject in fiction until recently. Several different approaches to cloaking have been proposed and demonstrated: stealth technology, active camouflage and transformation optics. The last one would be the most formal approach modifying electromagnetic field around an object to be cloaked with metamaterials. While cloaking based on transformation optics, though valid only at single frequency, is experimentally demonstrated in microwave region, its operation in visible spectrum is still distant from realisation mainly owing to difficulty in fabricating metamaterial structure whose elements are much smaller than wavelength of light. Here we show that achromatic optical cloaking in visible spectrum is possible with the mere principle based on geometrical optics. In combining a pair of polarising beam splitters and right-angled prisms, rays of light to be obstructed by an object can make a detour to an observer, while unobstructed rays go straight through two polarising beam splitters. What is observed eventually through the device is simply background image as if nothing exists in between