Information and Export Decisions: Bank’s Role as a Conduit of Information

This paper examines how firms’ decision to start exporting is affected by the availability of information on export markets. Unlike existing studies which focus on information sharing among firms, we are interested in the information provided by firms’ main bank. Specifically, using a unique dataset containing information on both Japanese firms’ export activities and their main banks’ experience in transacting with other exporting firms, we examine whether main banks act as a conduit of information on export markets. We find that information spillovers through main banks positively affect client firms’ decision to start exporting (extensive margin), implying that information on foreign markets provided by banks substantially reduces the fixed entry cost of exporting. On the other hand, we do not find any evidence that information provided by banks has an effect on the export volume or on the growth rate of exports (intensive margin). Our results highlight that channels of information spillovers other than those examined in the literature so far may be of considerable importance

Differential Regulation of Gene Expression of Alveolar Epithelial Cell Markers in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma-Derived A549 Clones

Stem cell therapy appears to be promising for restoring damaged or irreparable lung tissue. However, establishing a simple and reproducible protocol for preparing lung progenitor populations is difficult because the molecular basis for alveolar epithelial cell differentiation is not fully understood. We investigated an in vitro system to analyze the regulatory mechanisms of alveolus-specific gene expression using a human alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cell line, A549. After cloning A549 subpopulations, each clone was classified into five groups according to cellmorphology andmarker gene expression. Two clones (B7 and H12)were further analyzed. Under serum-free culture conditions, surfactant protein C (SPC), an ATII marker, was upregulated in both H12 and B7. Aquaporin 5 (AQP5), an ATI marker, was upregulated in H12 and significantly induced in B7. When the RAS/MAPK pathway was inhibited, SPC and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) expression levels were enhanced. After treatment with dexamethasone (DEX), 8-bromoadenosine 3’5’-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), surfactant protein B and TTF-1 expression levels were enhanced. We found that A549-derived clones have plasticity in gene expression of alveolar epithelial differentiation markers and could be useful in studying ATII maintenance and differentiation

C. Elegans Meets Data Sonification: Can We Hear Its Elegant Movement?

(Abstract to follow

Clinical Evaluation and Metabolism of Sevoflurane in Patients

Sevoflurane was submitted to Phase II studies in patients following Phase I studies. Sevoflurane, 2% inspired during maintenance, was administered with 50% N2O in oxygen to produce surgical anesthesia in 9 orthopedic patients of ASA Physical Status I. Under controlled ventilation, endotracheal concentration of sevoflurane was recorded. The blood concentration of sevoflurane was measured during and after the inhalation. Serum, urinary inorganic fluoride, and glucuronide of hexafluoroisopropanol were analysed with ion chromatographic analyzer. The patient inhaled sevoflurane for 3.5 ± 1.6 hr. All the patients were anesthetized and operated uneventfully. Postoperative laboratory findings showed no unexplainable abnormality. The end expiratory concentration of sevoflurane reached a plateau in 4.0 ± 0.8 min and fell rapidly after discontinuation of sevoflurane. Blood concentration of sevoflurane was about 500 μM during inhalation. It decreased promptly after termination of sevoflurane and was not correlated with anesthetic time. The time for verbal response after discontinuation was 11.8 ± 4.2 min. The serum concentration of inorganic fluoride increased after inhalation and reached a plateau (13.7 ± 8.2 μM) in 120 min. The level lasted for 120 min after anesthesia and fell by half at 12 hr after anesthesia. Urinary fluoride concentration varied from 20 to 3,000 μM during the first 12 hr urine, and showed its maximum in the first postoperative 12 or 24 hr urine. The findings that sevoflurane with nitrous oxide and oxygen produced surgical anesthesia without any sequelae and that the serum fluoride level did not exceed the nephrotoxic level warrent the further clinical evaluation in a wider range of subjects.A part of this work was supported by a Research Grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and presented at the 8th European Congress of Anaesthesiology, Vienna, Austria, in September, 1986

Cultivable Anaerobic Microbiota of Infected Root Canals

Objective. Periapical periodontitis is an infectious and inflammatory disease of the periapical tissues caused by oral bacteria invading the root canal. In the present study, profiling of the microbiota in infected root canals was performed using anaerobic culture and molecular biological techniques for bacterial identification. Methods. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects (age ranges, 34–71 years). Nine infected root canals with periapical lesions from 7 subjects were included. Samples from infected root canals were collected, followed by anaerobic culture on CDC blood agar plates. After 7 days, colony forming units (CFU) were counted and isolated bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results. The mean bacterial count (CFU) in root canals was (0.5 ± 1.1) × 106 (range 8.0 × 101–3.1 × 106), and anaerobic bacteria were predominant (89.8%). The predominant isolates were Olsenella (25.4%), Mogibacterium (17.7%), Pseudoramibacter (17.7%), Propionibacterium (11.9%) and Parvimonas (5.9%). Conclusion. The combination of anaerobic culture and molecular biological techniques makes it possible to analyze rapidly the microbiota in infected root canals. The overwhelming majority of the isolates from infected root canals were found to be anaerobic bacteria, suggesting that the environment in root canals is anaerobic and therefore support the growth of anaerobes

Characteristic Upregulation of Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 in an Early Lesion Negative for Hitherto Established Cytochemical Markers in Rat Hepatocarcinogenesis

Previously, we reported α2-macroglobulin (α2M) to be a novel marker characteristic of rat hepatocellular preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions negative for hitherto well-established markers. In the present study, we further examined other candidate markers with specificity for the same type of lesions. Glutathione S-transferase-placental form (GST-P)-negative hepatocellular altered foci (HAF) were generated using a two-stage (initiation and promotion) carcinogenesis protocol with N,N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and either Wy-14,643 or clofibrate, two peroxisome proliferators. Microarray analysis using total RNAs isolated from laser-microdissected GST-P-negative HAF (amphophilic cell foci) and adjacent normal tissues was conducted along with immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR. Staining for glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) was detected in GST-P-negative HAF and hepatocellular adenomas, and slightly increased GRP78 mRNA expression was observed in the lesions by real-time RT-PCR analysis. Thus, an early increase of GRP78 expression in hepatocarcinogenesis is likely a feature of the amphophilic subset of HAF

Speciation of arsenic in a thermoacidophilic iron-oxidizing archaeon, Acidianus brierleyi, and its culture medium by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy combined with flow injection pretreatment using an anion-exchange mini-column

The thermoacidophilic iron-oxidizing archaeon Acidianus brierleyi is a microorganism that could be useful in the removal of inorganic As from wastewater, because it simultaneously oxidizes As(III) and Fe(II) to As(V) and Fe(III) in an acidic culture medium, resulting in the immobilization of As(V) as FeAsO4. To investigate the oxidation mechanism, speciation of the As species in both the cells and its culture media is an important issue. Here we describe the successive determination of As(III), As(V), and total As in A. brierleyi and its culture medium via a facile method based on inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP–OES) with a flow injection pretreatment system using a mini-column packed with an anion-exchange resin. The flow-injection pretreatment system consisted of a syringe pump, a selection valve, and a switching valve, which were controlled by a personal computer. Sample solutions with the pH adjusted to 5 were flowed into the mini-column to retain the anionic As(V), whereas As(III) was introduced into ICP–OES with no adsorption on the mini-column due to its electrically neutral form. An acidic solution (1 M HNO3) was then flowed into the mini-column to elute As(V) followed by ICP–OES measurement. The same sample was also subjected to ICP–OES without being passed through the mini-column in order to determine the total amounts of As(III) and As(V). The method was verified by comparing the results of the total As with the sum of As(III) and As(V). The calibration curves showed good linearity with limits of detection of 158, 86, and 211 ppb for As(III), As(V), and total As, respectively. The method was successfully applicable to the determination of the As species contained in the pellets of A. brierleyi and their culture media. The results suggested that the oxidation of As(III) was influenced by the presence of Fe(II) in the culture medium, i.e., Fe(II) enhanced the oxidation of As(III) in A. brierleyi. In addition, we found that no soluble As species was contained in the cell pellets and more than 60% of the As(III) in the culture medium was oxidized by A. brierleyi after a 6-day incubation

Rapid Quantification of Bacteria in Infected Root Canals Using Fluorescence Reagents and a Membrane Filter: A Pilot Study on Its Clinical Application to the Evaluation of the Outcomes of Endodontic Treatment

Objective. The bacterial examination has been performed during the course of the root canal treatment. In the present pilot study, the new developed method, using fluorescence reagents and a membrane filter, was applied to the detection and quantification of bacteria in infected root canals, in order to evaluate the outcomes of the treatment. Methods. Six infected root canals with periapical lesions from 5 subjects were included. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects (age ranges, 23–79 years). Samples from infected root canals were collected at the beginning of the treatment (termed #25 First), the end of the first day of treatment (termed #55 First), and the next appointment day (termed #55 Second). Then, the bacterial count (CFU) was measured using fluorescence reagents (4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole and propidium iodide) and the polycarbonate membrane filter by Bioplorer. Results. The mean ± SD of CFU in the sample of “#25 First” was (1.0 ± 1.4) × 105. As the root canal treatment progressed, the CFU decreased as 7.9 × 103 (#55 First) and 4.3 × 102 (#55 Second). Conclusion. In the present pilot study, rapid detection and quantification of bacteria in infected root canals were found to be successfully performed using fluorescence reagents and a membrane filter (Bioplorer analysis)