Objective The effects of perilla seed oil (n-3 fatty acids) on bronchial asthma were compared with the effects of corn oil (n-6 fatty acids) in relation to the pulmonary function and the generation of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and C4 (LTC4) by leucocytes.Methods and Subjects 14 asthmatic subjects were divided randomly into two groups: one group (7 subjects) consumedperilla seed oil-rich supplementation and the other group (7 subjects) consumed corn oil-rich supplementation for 4 weeks. Generation of LTsby leucocytes and respiratory function were comparedbetween the two groups.Results The generation of LTB4 and LTC4 by leucocytes tended to increase in subjects (N=7) with corn oil-rich supplementation, and decrease in subjects (N=7) with perilla seed oil-rich supplementation. Significant differences between the two groups were observed in the generation of LTB4 at 2 weeks (p<0.05) and LTC4 at 2 weeks (p<0.05) after dietary supplementation. Significant increases in the value of PEF (p<0.05), FVC (p<0.01), FEV1 0 (p<0.05) and V25 (p<0.05) were found in subjects who received perilla seed oil supplementation for 4 weeks. And significant differences in the value of FVC (p<0.05) and FEV1 0 (p<0.05) were observed between the two groups after 4 weeks of dietary supplementation.Conclusion These results suggest that perilla seed oilrich supplementation is useful for the treatment of asthma in terms of suppression of LTB4and LTC4generation by leucocytes, and improvement of pulmonary function.

Background-Low attenuation areas (LAA) on computed tomographic (CT) scans have been shown to represent emphysematous changes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the significance of LAA is still controversial in patients with asthma. This study was undertaken to assess the usefulness of lung CT densitometry in the detection of airspace enlargement in association with asthma severity. Methods-Forty five asthmatic subjects and 15 non-smoking controls were studied to determine the influence of age, pulmonary function, and asthma severity on mean lung density ( Conclusions-Decreased CT lung density in non-smoking asthmatics is related to airflow limitation, hyperinflation and aging, but not with lung transfer factor. (Thorax 2001;56:851-856) Keywords: high resolution computed tomography; asthma severity; lung function; age Asthma is a disease characterised by airflow limitation that reverses spontaneously or in response to treatment.1 The nature of asthma as a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways is well recognised.2 This inflammation process leads to irreversible changes in the airway.3-5 Frequent airway and lung parenchymal changes associated with asthma are considered to be responsible for the irreversibility of airway obstruction, an outcome that is observed in many severe asthmatics. Emphysema, on the other hand, is defined pathologically as a process that results in the increase of distal airspaces with destruction of their walls without obvious fibrosis. 6 The evidence for the presence of emphysema in asthmatic patients is controversial.Numerous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of computed tomographic (CT) scanning and high resolution CT (HRCT) scanning to detect and quantify pulmonary emphysema in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and a quantitative method using digital data as well as visual assessment of the scan are used to analyse the CT images. Low attenuation areas (LAA) on CT scans in vivo have been shown to represent macroscopic and/or microscopic emphysematous changes in the lungs of patients with COPD.7-12 However, one report has suggested that mean lung density (MLD) gives a good indication of hyperinflation rather than of emphysema. 20Some studies have investigated the use of CT lung densitometry in non-smoking asthmatic patients. [21][22][23][24] One study suggested that the percentage of pixels below -900 Hounsfield Units (HU) at full expiration reflects air trapping in asthmatic patients and correlates with pulmonary function. 21 Gevenois et al showed that acute expiratory airflow limitation and chronic hyperinflation did not influence the MLD or the relative area of the lungs showing attenuation values less than -950 HU (RA 950 ) in nonsmoking asthmatic patients. 22 They also found that CT lung densitometry was influenced by the total lung capacity (TLC) and age in healthy subjects. Biernacki et al observed that some patients with chronic stable asthma devel...

This paper presents parameter and topology optimization of inductor shapes using evolutionary algorithms. The goal of the optimization is to reduce the size of inductors satisfying the specifications on inductance values under weak and strong bias-current conditions. The inductance values are computed from the finite-element (FE) method taking magnetic saturation into account. The result of the parameter optimization, which leads to significant reduction in the volume, is realized for test, and the dependence of inductance on bias currents is experimentally measured, which is shown to agree well with the computed values. Moreover, novel methods are introduced for topology optimization to obtain inductor shapes with homogeneous ferrite cores suitable for mass production.Index Terms-Finite-element (FE) method, immune algorithm, inductor, microgenetic algorithm, topology optimization.

To investigate the low-attenuation areas of the lungs (LAA) in asthma, we compared the mean lung density (MLD) and the LAA in 22 asthmatics (12 ex-smokers and 10 nonsmokers) and 13 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by high-resolution computed tomography. The MLD and the relative area of the lung with attenuation values lower than -950 Hounsfield Units at full inspiration (inspiratory RA950) were significantly different in nonsmoking asthmatics compared to patients with COPD and asthmatics with a smoking history. The MLD and the RA950 correlated significantly with the FEV1 in all groups and with the DL(CO) in patients with COPD and asthmatics with a smoking history but not in nonsmoking asthmatics. We concluded that the LAA in asthmatics with a smoking history indicates the presence of emphysema, but in nonsmoking asthmatics it reflects hyperinflation and nonemphysematous expiratory airflow limitation rather than emphysematous lesions.

This paper describes the development of an efficient and accurate dynamic hysteresis model that combines the Cauer circuit representations with the play model. The physical meaning of the standard Cauer circuit is discussed and is used to derive a mathematical representation of hysteretic inductors. The iron-loss and hysteresis loops of silicon steel that were obtained using the proposed model agree with experimental data measured under sinusoidal and pulse width modulation excitations.