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Objective: To estimate the total number of patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy in Japan and the prevalence of the disorder. Design: A nationwide epidemialagical survey. Setting: Hospitals selected randomly from among [...]

Rikkunshito has been shown to improve upper gastrointestinal symptoms and anorexia. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether rikkunshito improves chemotherapy-induced nausea in thoracic cancer patients receiving carboplatin (CBDCA)-based chemotherapy. A retrospective before-and-after comparison study was conducted in patients with thoracic cancer receiving the first cycle of CBDCA-based chemotherapy. Among 61 eligible patients, 34 received standard antiemetic therapy with a combination of 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist and dexamethasone from September 2012 and June 2013 (standard group), while the other 27 received the standard antiemetic therapy plus oral rikkunshito from July 2013 and December 2014 (rikkunshito group). The rates of no nausea showed no significant difference between the standard and rikkunshito group (Overall phase: 64.7 % for standard group vs74.1 % for rikkunshito group, p= 0.579). Subgroup analysis indicated that, in female patients, the rates of no nausea in rikkunshito groups was significantly higher than in standard group (overall phase: 44.4 %vs100 %,p= 0.034). Rikkunshito did not demonstrate an additional prophylactic effect on standard antiemetic therapy for nausea in patients with thoracic cancer receiving CBDCA-based chemotherapy, but showed a prophylactic effect of nausea in female patients.

First results are presented of a study on the impact of O and Ge doping on {113}‐defect formation in Si using in situ2 MeV e‐irradiation in a high voltage electron microscope. Comparison with undoped Si, reveals a suppression of {113}‐defect formation due to O and Ge. The observations are discussed in the frame of a theoretical model assuming quasi‐chemical reactions to describe the intrinsic point defect behaviour during irradiation as a function of irradiation temperature and specimen thickness. It is shown that for irradiations at high temperatures, intrinsic point defect diffusivity values derived from crystal growth and metal diffusion experiments can be used to explain the observations semi‐quantitatively.

Donor shortage is a major issue in liver transplantation. We have successfully performed temporary auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation (APOLT) using a small volume graft procured from a living donor for recipients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). The aim of this study was to evaluate this procedure by comparing it with standard living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We compared 13 recipients undergoing this procedure with 23 recipients undergoing a standard LDLT for the treatment of FAP. The estimated donor graft volume and the graft volume/recipient's standard liver volume ratio were significantly smaller in the temporary APOLT group than in the standard LDLT group. Postoperative complications were comparable, although the hospital stay was longer in the temporary APOLT group. All the patients safely underwent a remnant native liver resection about 2 months after their first operation in the temporary APOLT group. No symptoms related to FAP developed before the remnant liver resection, and no significant differences in graft and patient survival were observed between the two groups. We successfully performed temporary APOLT using a small volume liver graft without postoperative liver failure for FAP. Temporary APOLT for FAP might be a useful alternative procedure for expanding the donor pool for LDLT.

AbstractIn the tandem mirror GAMMA 10, plasma confinement is achieved not only by the magnetic mirror configuration but also by the high potentials at both end regions. Before applying plug–electron cyclotron resonance heating (P-ECH), drift-type fluctuations were observed in the potential and density measurements. The suppression potential and density of these fluctuations were clearly determined by using a gold neutral beam probe (GNBP) system during the potential formation by the application of P-ECH. We studied the relationship between the suppression levels of the potential fluctuations and the effects of potential produced by changing the applied electron cyclotron heating power. Moreover, the particle-flux-related values obtained by examining the phase difference between the potential and density fluctuations were measured by using the GNBP. We clearly show that radial anomalous transport induces radial particle transport, which decreases the stored energy of the plasma.

A novel ethyl methacrylate (EMA) resin was developed to overcome the tissue, organ and systemic damage associated with the residual monomer of conventional methyl methacrylate (MMA) resin bone cement. EMA resin is a chemical/ photopolymerizable material and is easy to handle during clinical procedures. The biocompatibility of EMA was evaluated in accordance with ISO10993-6. No inflammatory response was observed 1 and 9 weeks after implantation in the dorsal subcutaneous tissue of ddY mice. EMA resin also demonstrated better biocompatibility when compared with conventional bone cements. Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) was used as a carrier for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and added to the EMA slurry. The EMA-PLLA composite membrane was sticky and BMP readily adhered to its surface. The EMA-PLLA-BMP composite membrane induced new bone formation, the new bone growing in the shape of the EMA in the thigh muscle pouch of ddY mice. This novel EMA resin has many potential clinical applications.

AbstractThe H-mode transition properties of 70-GHz, 0.4-MW electron cyclotron heating (ECH) plasmas in Heliotron J have been studied with special reference to their magnetic configuration dependences, such as the edge iota dependences. Two edge iota windows for the H-mode transition were observed to be (a) 0.54 < ɩ(a)/2π < 0.56 in separatrix discharge plasmas and (b) 0.62 < ɩ(a)/2π < 0.63 in partial wall-limiter discharge plasmas if a certain threshold line-averaged electron density ([overbar]ne= 1.2-1.6 × 1019m-3) is achieved, where ɩ(a) is the vacuum edge iota value and a is the plasma minor radius, respectively. A strong dependence of the quality of the H-mode on the edge topology conditions was revealed. The energy confinement time for the separatrix discharge plasmas was found to be enhanced beyond the normal ISS95 scaling in the transient H-mode phase, being 50% longer than that in the “before transition” phase. The window characteristics are discussed on the basis of the calculated geometrical poloidal viscous damping rate coefficient in a collisional plasma, indicating that the behavior of the viscous damping rate coefficient alone could not explain the observed characteristics. The bootstrap current properties of ECH plasmas and the relevant electron cyclotron current drive experimental results are also discussed.

AbstractBehavior of intrinsic and injected impurities has been investigated in Heliotron-J plasmas by spectroscopic methods. Intrinsic impurities are identified with the vacuum ultraviolet grazing incidence spectrometer in neutral beam injection (NBI)-heated plasmas. Na-like Ni XVIII and Mg-like Ni XVIII are observed only in NBI heating phase. Helium gas is injected into electron cyclotron heating plasmas. In the density scan experiments, He II line intensities, which are normalized by the electron density, increase with decreasing electron density. For intrinsic impurities, similar dependence of line intensities on the electron density is observed. The normalized line intensity indicates the particle number of ions penetrated into the core plasma. In addition, the edge electron density is in proportion to the core electron density. These results may reflect the screening effect due to electron collisional ionization at the edge plasma. In the carbon limiter insertion, the CH radical band spectrum is observed. The carbon limiter head is formed in the hemisphere. The spatial distribution of the band emission is asymmetrical to the main axis of the limiter head. A good agreement is obtained between the spatial distribution of emissions of the band spectrum and the camera image with bandpass filter.

Studies of global energy confinement and toroidal plasma current behaviour for the second harmonic 70 GHz ECH at B = 1–1.5 T are described with emphasis on the magnetic configuration effects in the helical-axis heliotron ‘Heliotron J’. At low densities of _e ≈ 1 keV in the core region, indicating the production of collision-less plasmas of electron collisionality ν^* ≪ 0.1, where ν^* = ν/(v_e/π R₀q). For medium densities of

The transient behaviour of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs was studied by current DLTS. One electron trap and two hole-trap-like signals were observed. The electron trap had an activation energy of 0.61 eV, which was similar to the defect level in n-GaN obtained by capacitance DLTS. It has been pointed out that the hole-trap-like signals dit not originate from changes in hole trap population in the channel, but probably reflected the changes in the electron population in the surface states of the HEMT access regions. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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We have investigated the magnetotransport properties of field-effect transistors (FET) having a III–V ferromagnetic semiconductor channel layer. One can control not only the ferromagnetic transition temperature TCbut also the magnetization and the coercive force of (In,Mn)As channel layers isothermally and reversibly by gate electric fields. A small change of the magnetization upon application of gate electric fields is also observed in FETs with a (Ga,Mn)As channel. Results on a (Al,Ga,Mn)As channel FET are also presented.

We demonstrate electrical electron spin injection in a p+-(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs tunnel junction with an n-GaAs/(In,Ga)As/p-GaAs light emitting diode (LED). By applying a reverse bias to the p+-(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs junction (forward bias to the LED), we observed clear hysteresis in electroluminescence (EL) polarization. The magnitude of the EL polarization, which does not depend critically on the spacer layer thickness up to 800 nm, is found to be about five times greater than that of the hole spin injection.

Drain current collapse in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs has been studied in detail. Applying negative gate bias stress to the device caused a serious current collapse. Spatially resolved light illumination on the device combined with the measurement of series source and drain resistances revealed that the collapse was caused by the electrons trapped at the surface states between the gate and drain electrodes. Passivation of the device surface with Si3N4 film eliminated the current collapse.

We have developed a novel method to determine the polarization of light emitted from nanometre-ordered spaces in materials by means of polarized cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy with an ellipsoidal mirror in a transmission electron microscope. We have shown that simulation of CL intensities in full consideration of the effect of reflection on an ellipsoidal mirror is necessary to determine the polarization.

We have studied electron-irradiation-induced defects created on an electron exit surface of a Si thin film by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Several electron-irradiated areas with different electron doses are provided for STM observation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation reveals a number of silicon-surface-nanoholes of 2–3 nm in diameter and about 5 nm apart in an irradiated area whenever it receives the dose larger than 1.5×1024e/cm2, while no distinctive TEM contrast of defects is observed in an area with lower dose. STM observation has shown that electron-irradiated surfaces are rougher than a nonirradiated surface. Examining the depth distribution of the areas with different doses, we have found that each irradiated surface exhibits two depth levels which are attributed to a rough surface and a bottom of surface nanoholes, respectively. Even in an area with the lowest dose (1.5×1022e/cm2) in this experiment we have observed distinctive STM contrasts, the arrangement and sizes of which are similar to those of the well-developed surface nanoholes observable by TEM. This STM observation shows that the arrangement of nanoholes on an electron exit surface is set up at the very early stage, followed by the excavating of nanoholes under prolonged electron irradiation. We suggest that nanoholes exist in the early stage when only a few atomic layers are removed from the initial surface.

One of the proposed aetiological mechanisms for idiopathic sudden deafness is vascular disease. However, it is not known whether traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as particular dietary factors, are associated with this condition.

Objective:To test the applicability of maternal serum placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP) as a parameter for predicting preterm delivery. Patients and Methods:Maternal serum P-LAP activity of 61 consecutive women with preterm labor at admission were assayed and examined to assess the relationship of levels to the incidence of preterm and term deliveries. Results: When P-LAP activity of study patient serum was at or below the 10th percentile, we found a greater ratio of preterm delivery ( P=0.0085) and an approximately 2.3-fold increase risk. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 29, 97, 89 and 62%, respectively. Conclusion:Maternal serum P-LAP activity decreases in cases with spontaneous preterm delivery and may be a clinically potential marker for some cases of preterm labor.

The velocity distribution of desorbing CO2 was studied in steady-state CO oxidation on Pd(110) in a wide range of both surface temperature and reactant pressure by means of cross-correlation time-of-flight techniques. The velocity distribution curve always involved two components (fast and slow). The slow component showed a Maxwellian velocity distribution at the surface temperature. The energy of the fast component increased with increasing ratio of oxygen to CO pressure from 2200 to 4000 K, suggesting compressed oxygen lattices enhancing the velocity. This component was abruptly suppressed at the critical CO pressure, where the rate-determining step switched from CO adsorption to oxygen dissociation. The energy of the fast component increased with increasing surface temperature, suggesting a change in the energy partition itself. Above about 3 × 10^-4 Torr of O2, the slow component did not become predominant even far above the critical pressure of CO.

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a clean and sustainable alternative fuel that can be produced from natural gas, coal or other organic resources through syngas. The properties of DME are suitable for the production of power generation fuel, transportation fuel, home fuel and chemicals. Production of DME fuel from unutilized natural gas or coal resources in remote areas will contribute in solving the energy–environment dilemma. An innovative process of direct synthesis of DME from syngas in a slurry bed has been developed with a bench plant (50kg/day). Further development of the project using a pilot scale plant (5t/day) commenced in 1997 with governmental support. The feasibility study of the International Development Engineering Society of Japan indicates that the production cost of DME is competitive to conventional fuel price, and the cost of electricity generation using DME is the same as that of a coal-fired power station with a much lower environmental load. The most realistic scenario for the introduction of DME fuel in Asia in the early 21st century is its promotion as a thermal power plant fuel in Japan as a clean motor vehicle fuel in large cities of Asia, and as a substitute for liquefied petroleum gas or kerosene in Asia.

Associations of fat and other macronutrients with breast cancer risk are not clear in areas where fat intake is low.