Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of As-Grown Suspended Graphene Nanoribbons.

Conventionally, graphene is a poor thermoelectric material with a low figure of merit () of 10-10. Although nanostructuring was proposed to improve the thermoelectric performance of graphene, little experimental progress has been accomplished. Here, we carefully fabricated as-grown suspended graphene nanoribbons with quarter-micron length and ∼40 nm width.

Schottky solar cell using few-layered transition metal dichalcogenides toward large-scale fabrication of semitransparent and flexible power generator.

Few-layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are known as true two-dimensional materials, with excellent semiconducting properties and strong light-matter interaction. Thus, TMDs are attractive materials for semitransparent and flexible solar cells for use in various applications. Hoewver, despite the recent progress, the development of a scalable method to fabricate semitransparent and flexible solar cells with mono- or few-layered TMDs remains a crucial challenge.

Structural instability and Cu-dependent pro-oxidant activity acquired by the apo form of mutant SOD1 associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a cytosolic antioxidant enzyme, and its mutation has been implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease causing a progressive loss of motor neurons. Although the pathogenic mechanism of ALS remains unclear, it is hypothesized that some toxic properties acquired by mutant SOD1 play a role in the development of ALS. We have examined the structural and catalytic properties of an ALS-linked mutant of human SOD1, His43Arg (H43R), which is characterized by rapid disease progression.

The effectiveness of wedge shoes in patients with insufficient vestibular compensation.

Objectives: Patients who fail to achieve sufficient vestibular compensation after acute vestibular deafferentation show a tendency to deviate toward the affected side. This study evaluated the effectiveness of wedge shoes specially manufactured with a 4mm inclination on the affected side to patients with chronic vestibular insufficiency.

Methods: Subjects comprised 13 patients with chronic vestibular insufficiency for >6 months after acute unilateral vestibular dysfunction and 9 healthy volunteers.

Increased nasal patency caused by smoking and contraction of isolated human nasal mucosa.

In this study, we investigated the effects of smoking and nicotine, an important constituent of cigarettes, on the nasal patency using acoustic rhinometry (AR) and an in vitro bioassay technique. In the AR study, the nasal cavity volume of volunteers classified into two groups, smoking and nicotine chewing gum groups, was measured. The nasal cavity volumes immediately after smoking and 5 minutes after smoking significantly increased compared with that before smoking (P < 0.

Subglottic leiomyosarcoma of the larynx; a case report.

Leiomyosarcoma of the larynx is very rare. We herein report an especially rare case of leiomyosarcoma originating in the subglottic mucosa. The majority of cases reported in the literature indicate that laryngeal leiomyosarcomas originate in the supraglottic or glottic area.

Contribution of nitric oxide and sensory transmitters to non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic innervation of nasal blood vessels.

The possible contribution of a non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) vasodilator mechanism in human nasal mucosa was studied using an in vitro muscle tension measuring technique. Strips of the nasal mucosa were suspended in a Magnus tube filled with Krebs solution and aerated with 95% O2. Isometric changes in tension were detected on administration of various drugs under electric stimulation and recorded with a transducer.

[Object analysis of cervical lymph nodes using MRI turbo-STIR sequence in cases of head and neck tumors].

Diagnosis of cervical lymph nodes from head and neck tumors was studied using MRI turbo-STIR (short TI inversion recovery) sequence and conventional MRI sequence in 15 patients. After the MRI examination, 10 of the 15 patients underwent radical neck dissections. The detection of cervical lymph nodes with the conventional MRI was not clear.

[The ethmoido-maxillary plate and paranasal sinuses--a study by HRCT].

The ethmoido-maxillary plate is a thin layer of bone separating the maxillary sinus from the ethmoidal cells or sphenoidal sinus. The plate was studied using axial HRCT images obtained from various otological lesions. One hundred forty-one adults were included in this study.

[Vasoactivity of human nasal mucosa in response to sensory neurotransmitters (a study of nasal geometrical change with acoustic rhinometry)].

Intranasal blood flow is regulated not only by autonomic but also by sensory nervous systems. Sensory neurotransmitters are reported to control resistance vessels. Our investigation of intranasal vasoactivity before and after applying sensory neurotransmitters was conducted using acoustic rhinometry.

[Evaluation of the effects of nasal decongestants with acoustic rhinometry].

Acoustic rhinometry is a new method of evaluating the geometrical distributions of the cross-section and volume of the nasal cavity. Its characteristics are that of a nontraumatic procedure requiring minimal time for measurements. Eight males (27-39 years old) without nasal lesions were investigated with acoustic rhinometry before and after unilateral administrations of decongestants.

[Evidence for the presence of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in nasal blood vessels].

It has widely been recognized that the vascular endothelium plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tension. Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) is a potent vasodilator produced by vascular endothelial cells in response to acetylcholine (ACh) and a variety of other substances. Recent studies have indicated its pharmacological and biochemical effect on vascular smooth muscle tension.

Plasma endothelin-1 concentration in the inferior turbinate.

Endothelin (ET)-1 has the most potent vasocontrictive action of any substance known to date. Three milliliters of blood was removed from both the inferior turbinate and from the antecubital vein of six patients who underwent nasal surgery under general anesthesia. After centrifugation of the blood samples, the plasma was sent for radioimmunoassay of the plasma levels of ET-1.

[Peritonsillar abscess--a comparison of treatment by needle aspiration and incision].

To compare the efficacy of permucosal needle aspiration with that of incision and drainage in the management of peritonsillar abscess, we reviewed the charts of 32 patients, diagnosed as having peritonsillar abscess, who had been admitted to the Central Hospital of Social Health Insurance from June 1987 to December 1991. Twelve patients, 9 males and 3 females, were managed with incision and drainage. Their average age was 34 years, with a range of 23 to 69 years.

[The effect of endothelin on neurotransmitter regulation of vascular tension in the nasal mucosa].

A number of studies have emphasized that the sympathetic nervous system in vascular smooth muscle plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tension. Recently, however, it has been suggested that several factors produced in endothelial cells may affect this regulatory mechanism. We have previously reported that endothelin-1 (ET), a novel potent endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor peptide, increased the contraction of nasal vascular smooth muscle which was caused by administration of noradrenaline (NA) into the bath solution.

Dentigerous cyst of the maxilla and its image diagnosis.

Dentigerous cysts may grow unnoticed to such extensive sizes as to occupy a considerable portion of the maxillary sinus. As they enlarge, the bony walls overlying the cysts thin out giving rise to an egg shell sensation upon palpation. Three cases of such extensive dentigerous cysts were experienced since 1987.

Vasoactivity of endothelin in nasal blood vessels.

Endothelin (ET) is a newly described peptide that was isolated from the supernatant of cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells. Among the three isoforms of ET, the originally discovered ET-1 is the only one that exists in vascular endothelium. It is reported to be an extremely potent vasoconstrictor in a variety of blood vessels.

[The vasoactivity of endothelin in the nasal mucosa].

Endothelin (ET), a novel endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor peptide with 21 amino acid residues, has recently been isolated from the supernatant of cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells. Several authors reported preliminary results demonstrating that ET has a potent contractile action in vascular smooth muscles, but its effect is slightly different in each target tissue. In the present study, we have examined the vasoactivity of ET in human and canine nasal mucosa with in vitro bioassay.

[A case of malignant mesenchymoma of the maxilla].

The case of a 48-year-old male with a malignant mesenchymoma of the maxilla is reported. The patient had complained of bloody rhinorrhea and cheek pain, and a total maxillectomy was performed. The tumor consisted of a rhabdomyosarcoma, an osteosarcoma and a chondrosarcoma, which were relatively differentiated.

[The use of intraoperative auditory evoked brainstem responses in the treatment of congenital ossicular anomalies].

Intraoperative auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were monitored in 3 patients undergoing middle ear surgery for congenital ossicular anomalies. It was investigated whether this technique was capable of providing useful information to the operating surgeon. After the induction of anaesthesia and intubation, standard disc electrodes were attached to the vertex (active), ipsilateral mastoid (reference), and forehead (ground).

Simulation of secondary metabolite production by immobilized living cells: penicillin production.

The production of secondary metabolites by immobilized living microorganisms was investigated by simulation techniques. The behavior of free cell and immobilized cell reactors for the production of penicillin by P. chrysogenum was compared.

Covalent coupling of microorganisms to a cellulosic support.

Methods for the covalent coupling of microorganisms to a solid support were investigated. Both bacteria and yeast were attached to cellulose particles using cyanuric chloride as the coupling agent, although different experimental procedures were needed for the two types of microbes. This general technique for whole-cell immobilization offers an advantage over entrapment methods in that the cells are attached to the outer surface of the solid, thus eliminating the resistance of a gel to the transfer of nutrients and products.