In the presence of a catalytic amount of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium, /3-keto acids react with allylic acetates at ambient temperature to produce -allylic ketones in good yields with quantitative decarboxylation. This palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation of allylic acetates with /3-keto acids is characterized by high regio-and stereoselectivity. Allylation of /3-keto acid takes place at the carbon atom bearing a carboxyl group. Allylic alkylation of allylic acetate with /3-keto acid occurs at the less substituted end of the allyl group. The resultant carbon-carbon double bond of the -allylic ketone has the E configuration. Allylic alkylation of lactone 25 with benzoylacetic acid proceeds preferably with retention of configuration, indicative of trans attack of the enolate on the (ir-allyl)palladium intermediate from the opposite side of palladium even in the coexistence of free carboxylic acids.

A surprisingly stable homoleptic Pd(0)(4) chain complex of non-activated olefins was isolated and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis, and the unique structure and bonding are compared to those of the corresponding dicationic [Pd(4)](2+) chain sandwich complex.

A community energy management system (CEMS) stands between energy consumers in a community and energy suppliers, and provides ancillary service to the former. A CEMS performs day-ahead scheduling for its energy conversion equipment and energy purchase planning for the next day to minimize energy consumption and cost under some constraints. In this study, we assume that multiple CEMSs can cooperatively perform the aforementioned; we examine a day-ahead scheduling problem among a group of CEMSs using two key solutions for energy saving: demand response and energy trade. Using the demand response, CEMS can change the energy of consumers to improve energy utilization efficiency. Using the energy trade, CEMSs can trade surplus energy with each other. First, we build an optimization problem for a group of CEMSs. Then, the alternating direction method of multipliers is used to decompose the optimization problem into a distributed optimization problem. Results of numerical experiments show that both the demand response and the energy trade cooperatively affect energy saving of the group. MasahiroOkada (Non-member) received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in electronic and information engineering from Osaka University in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Takuya Fukuda (Student Member) received the B.E. degree in electronic and information engineering from Osaka University in 2016. He is currently working toward the M.S. degree in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. His research interests include optimal control systems for electric vehicle. Shoichi Kitamura (Member) received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in biophysical engineering and the Dr. of Eng. degree in electrical engineering from Osaka University in 2000 and 2002, and 2013, respectively. He joined the Advanced Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Hyogo, in 2002, where he was engaged in research on the factory energy management system. At present, he is engaged in research on smart grid and smart community-related technologies.

In order to clarify the present state of opportunistic fungal infections increasing in incidence in autopsy cases, all autopsy cases from 1966 to 1975 reported in the Annual of Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan were reviewed. Of the total 233,130 autopsy cases, mycoses were present in 4,340 (1.86%). The incidence of mycoses has strikingly increased during the recent five-year period. In Japan, the mycoses most frequently occurring in autopsy cases were candidiasis (32.28%), aspergillosis (23.08%), cryptococcosis (9.63%), and mucormycosis (2.90%). These occurred more frequently in younger persons and were most commonly secondary and deep-seated infections (95.78%). Among the primary diseases associated with mycoses, aplastic anemia (14.36%), leukemia (9.89%), malignant lymphoma (5.73%), multiple myeloma (4.68%), and systemic lupus erythematosus (4.62%) were most frequent. The incidence of the primary diseases associated with mycoses is increasing extraordinarily, and this seems to be strongly related to the modern therapy of using high doses of anticancer or immunosuppressive agents.