Laxity of canine hip joint in two positions with computed tomography

Computed tomographic (CT) examination of 20 canine hip joints was carried out in two positions, normal-standing and weight-bearing. In normal (dorsal acetabular rim angle: DARA < 15 degrees ) or slightly abnormal (DARA, 15 degrees to 20 degrees ) hip joints, the values of parameters to laxity were evaluated as more severe in the weight-bearing position. Comparisons of results using various indicators, including the center distance (CD) index, dorsolateral subluxation score, and lateral center edge angle, revealed that the CD index may be a useful marker of functional laxity in the canine hip joint under CT scanning. Further, CT scanning in the weight-bearing position was more sensitive than in the normal-standing position for the detection of laxity in hips with normal or only slightly abnormal DARA.     

The risk of contrast media-induced ventricular fibrillation is low in canine coronary arteriography with ioxilan

Previous studies have proposed that sodium supplement to nonionic contrast media (CM) can decrease the risk of ventricular fibrillation (VF). This study was designed to compare the occurence of VF induced by ioxilan (containing 9 mmol/LNa+) with other nonionic CMs. After wedging a catheter in the right coronary artery, test solutions including ioxilan, ioversol, iomeprol, and iopromide were infused for 30 sec at the rate of 0.4 ml/sec or until VF occurred. Then, incidence of VF, contact time (i.e. the time required to produce VF), and QTc were measured. Also, the CMs other than ioxilan were investigated at sodium levels adjusted to 9 and 20 mmol/L Na+. The incidence of VF with ioxilan (0%) was the lowest of all. In the other CMs, the incidence decreased in accordance with increase of sodium. Iomeprol and iopromide showed significant reduction of VF incidence at the sodium level of 20 mmol/L. The higher sodium supplements also prolonged the contact times. The increase of QTc was the greatest in ioxilan. Ioxilan has the least arrythmogenic property among the current low-osmolality nonionic CMs. This property might be attributable to an optimal sodium concentration of 9 mmol/L in the CM.     

Bacterial canker of Maackia amurensis var. buergeri caused by a putative Pseudomonas syringae

A new disease of Maackia amurensis var. buergeri was recently found on the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. Affected trees were heavily damaged and had cankers on both trunks and branches. After natural infection, a series of swellings on the bark surface developed longitudinally. These swellings burst and coalesced to become long cankers. It is proposed that the disease be designated ‘bacterial canker of Maackia’. The causal pathogen was isolated and characterized tentatively as Pseudomonas syringae on the basis of laboratory tests. Pathogenicity of the bacterium was confirmed by inoculation into the host.     

A case of spontaneous Zymbal’s gland carcinoma with lung metastasis in an aged Fischer 344 rat

Zymbal’s gland neoplasms are induced in rats through the administration of various carcinogens, but spontaneous neoplasia is rare. This report describes a spontaneous Zymbal’s gland carcinoma with lung metastasis found in an aged male Fischer 344 rat. Macroscopically, the dome-like tumor nodule, approximately 30 mm in diameter with ulceration, was located near the ear canal of the rat. No healthy tissue or structure of Zymbal’s gland was identified on the corresponding side, while the normal salivary glands and a lacrimal gland were observed. Histologically, a large part of the tumor mass was occupied by poorly differentiated neoplastic cells, the shapes of which were oval to polygonal or fusiform. Additionally, clusters of sebaceous-like foamy cells and squamous metaplasia with prominent keratinization were observed. Tumor cells were found to metastasize to the lung; these cells displayed histological similarities, including a sebaceous gland-like pattern, to those in the primary site. The tumor cells were immunohistochemically positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 or vimentin but negative for CD68, S100, α-smooth muscle actin, von Willebrand factor, and desmin. Our results indicate that the tumor was a poorly differentiated Zymbal’s gland carcinoma with lung metastasis.     

Itokawa dust particles: a direct link between S-type asteroids and ordinary chondrites

The Hayabusa spacecraft successfully recovered dust particles from the surface of near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Synchrotron-radiation x-ray diffraction and transmission and scanning electron microscope analyses indicate that the mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the Itokawa dust particles are identical to those of thermally metamorphosed LL chondrites, consistent with spectroscopic observations made from Earth and by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Our results directly demonstrate that ordinary chondrites, the most abundant meteorites found on Earth, come from S-type asteroids. Mineral chemistry indicates that the majority of regolith surface particles suffered long-term thermal annealing and subsequent impact shock, suggesting that Itokawa is an asteroid made of reassembled pieces of the interior portions of a once larger asteroid.     

Fine Particle Dry Deposition onto a Cropland — a Trial to Estimate Deposition Velocity

The dry deposition velocity of fine particles is usually on the order of several tenths of cm s^?1, and accordingly, the concentration gradient of particles above the surface is very small. This makes the application of the gradient method to the determination of the particle deposition velocity very difficult. This study is a trial to find a way around this difficulty. The idea is to evaluate the thickness of the molecular diffusion layer, zb by simultaneously measuring the concentration gradient of gaseous species such as SO₂ ; zb is obtained by combining the turbulent and molecular transport equations for the gas. Then the particle deposition velocity is estimated on the basis of zb and the Brownian diffusion coefficient with an assumption that zb is equal to the thickness of the Brownian diffusion layer. By applying this method to the data collected in a field observation, the velocity of deposition onto a cropland was estimated for submicron particles.     

Emission Control of SO2 by Dry Coal-Cleaning and Bio-Briquette Technology

In China, the large amount of sulfur dioxide and dust discharged from the combustion of low-grade raw coal causes severe air pollution and acid rain. Therefore, the need to control the emission of such pollutants is urgent. It is well known that wet coal-cleaning technology is used to prepare clean coal from low-grade raw coal containing large amounts of sulfur and ash. However, this technology is not used in areas where water is scarce or severely polluted, because of the high cost of treating the wastewater. In an attempt to overcome this limitation, we studied an integrated technology, which combines dry coal-cleaning and bio-briquetting technologies, to prepare clean coal from low-grade raw coal. In the dry coal-cleaning method, refined coal was separated from ash and other minerals containing inorganic sulfur as pyrite by means of the differences in their electrostatic character. Most of the sulfur left in the refined coal was organic sulfur. The residual ash was fixed in combustion ashes of bio-briquettes made from coal, biomass, and slaked lime (Ca/S mole ratio =2) under pressure. By combining these two technologies, we were able to decrease the emission of sulfur dioxide and ash by 70≈90% compared to the combustion of raw coal.     

Effect of fungal to bacterial biomass ratio on the relationship between CO2 evolution and total soil microbial biomass

The relationship between the fungal: bacterial biomass ratio and the metabolic quotient (qCO₂) was studied in three different soils. In addition, the effect of the fungal: bacterial biomass ratio on the relationship between CO₂ evolution and the size of the soil microbial biomass was examined. Soil samples were collected from three experimental fields amended with various organic materials (Yatsugatake, Ibaraki, and Tochigi fields). The range of the fungal:bacterial biomass ratio in the Yatsugatake and Ibaraki fields was small (1.54–2.24 and 1.11–1.71, respectively), but it was large in the Tochigi field (1.18–3.75). We found a high negative correlation between this ratio and the metabolic quotient (qCO₂=2.10–0.361 (fungal:bacterial biomass ratio), R=–0.851, P<0.01) in the Tochigi field. Therefore, we suggest tha qCO₂ decreases with an increase in the fungal:bacterial biomass ratio, which may be due to a higher efficiency of substrate C use by fungal flora in comparison with bacterial flora. In the Yatsugatake and Ibaraki fields, there was a high positive correlation between CO₂ evolution and total microbial biomass. In contrast, no correlation was observed between these two parameters in the Tochigi field, probably reflecting the wide range of values for the fungal:bacterial biomass ratio. From the results obtained, we suggest that the fungal: bacterial biomass ratio is an important factor regulating the relationship between CO₂ evolution and the size of the microbial biomass.