Properties of the Soil Moisture and the Growth of "Muscat" Grape in the Computer-controlled Greenhouse for Pomological Studies

本学部附属農場・果樹園装置化施設内の大温室における水分特性を中心とした土壌の物理性を明らかにするとともに,灌水試験によるブドウ,"マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア"樹の生育について調査した. 1)本温室における土壌(マサ土)の三相分布では固相が70%にも及んでいた. 2)最大圃場容水量は30%以下,水分当量は10%以下となり,水分当量から萎凋係数までには2～3%の水分を含むにすぎず,極めて保水性の乏しい土壌であった. 3)透水係数は地下30cmまでは1～2×10-3cmsecであったが,それ以上深い場所,またはpF2.6(地下15cm)程度まで乾燥した場合,8.1mmの灌水では水分の移動が観測されなかった. 4)発芽前より収穫期までを果実の発育第I期中期を境に2分して前,後期とし,灌水量の多少の組合わせにより4区を設けて栽培したところ,前期少量灌水した区では新梢の初期生長が優ったのに対し,前期多量灌水区では開花期前後より旺盛な生育を示した. 5)果粒の肥大には果実発育の第I期後半から差がみられ,前期に多量灌水した区が優った. しかし,この区では縮果病の発生が7割程度多かった. 6)葉のみかけの光合成量と蒸散量を全期少量灌水区と全期多量灌水区において測定した結果,光合成量は後者の方が多かったが,蒸散量にはほとんど差はみられなかった. 7)根群分布を落葉後の12月に調査したところ,各区とも温室中央部は根域が浅く20～40cmであったのに対し,外側よりの樹は地下60cm付近に多かった. それは室中央部の地下30cm付近に著しく土壌硬度の高い層があったことによるためと思われる. これが幼木育成期より温室中央付近の樹の生育が悪いことの原因と思われる

Instantaneous measurement of high-power millimeter-wave beam for 28 GHz gyrotron

An instantaneous measurement system of high-power millimeter-wave was proposed and demonstrated with a 28 GHz gyrotron at the Plasma Research Center, University of Tsukuba. The high-power detector consists of an attenuator and a linear polarized microstrip antenna with an F-class load rectifier, which is a commonly used system for radio-frequency wireless power transmission. The detector obtained the power distribution of the gyrotron output beam which showed good agreement with the infrared camera image. The rectenna array detector received 45 W RF input power with a 0.4 ms response time. The results revealed that the proposed narrow band detector is useful as an imaging sensor and power meter for high-power millimeter-wave beam output with a wide wavelength range

A Case of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor-Producing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Confirmed by Immunohistochemistry

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a naturally occurring glycoprotein that stimulates the proliferation and maturation of precursor cells in the bone marrow into fully differentiated neutrophils. Several reports of G-CSF-producing malignant tumors have been published, but scarcely any in the hepatobiliary system, such as in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we encountered a 69-yr-old man with a hepatic tumor who had received right hepatic resection. He showed leukocytosis of 25,450/µL along with elevated serum G-CSF. Histological examination of surgical samples demonstrated immunohistochemical staining for G-CSF, but not for G-CSF receptor. The patient survived without recurrence for four years, but ultimately passed away with multiple bone metastases. In light of the above, clinicians may consider G-CSF-producing HCC when encountering patients with leukocytosis and a hepatic tumor. More cases are needed to clarify the clinical picture of G-CSF-producing HCC

Post-transplant donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies with a higher mean fluorescence intensity are associated with graft fibrosis in pediatric living donor liver transplantation

The roles of post-transplant anti-HLA donor specific antibody (DSA) in pediatric liver transplantation (LT), including therapeutic strategies, remain controversial. This study aimed to identify the risks of post-transplant DSA for graft fibrosis progression in pediatric living donor LT (LDLT). We retrospectively evaluated 88 LDLT pediatric cases between December 1995 and November 2019. DSAs were assessed with single antigen bead test. Graft fibrosis was histopathologically scored with METAVIR and the centrilobular sinusoidal fibrosis system. Post-transplant DSAs were detected in 37 (52.9%) cases at 10.8 (1.3–26.9) years post-LDLT. The histopathological examination of 32 pediatric cases with post-transplant DSA revealed that 7 (21.9%) with a high DSA-MFI (≥9,378) showed graft fibrosis progression (≥F2). No graft fibrosis was observed in the subjects with a low DSA-MFI. The risk factors for developing graft fibrosis in pediatric cases with post-transplant DSA were an older graft age (>46.5 years old), lower platelet count (<10.7 × 104/ml) and higher Fib4 index (>0.7807, recipient age; >1.8952, donor age). Limited efficacy of additional immunosuppressants was observed in DSA positive pediatric cases. In conclusion, pediatric cases with a high DSA-MFI and risk factors should undergo a histological examination. The appropriate treatment for post-transplant DSA in pediatric LT needs to be determined