Search

Objectives The aim of this AFIRE (Atrial Fibrillation and Ischemic Events With Rivaroxaban in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease) trial subgroup analysis was to examine rivaroxaban monotherapy benefits and their relation to the time between stenting and enrollment among patients after coronary stenting. Background Of 2,215 patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease in the AFIRE trial, rivaroxaban monotherapy was noninferior to rivaroxaban plus antiplatelet therapy (combination therapy) in terms of efficacy and superior for safety endpoints. However, thrombotic risk after antiplatelet therapy cessation remained a concern among 1,444 patients who had undergone coronary stenting >1 year before enrollment. Methods The benefits of rivaroxaban monotherapy in coronary stenting subgroups were assessed for efficacy (a composite of stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring revascularization, or death of any cause), safety (major bleeding defined according to International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria), ischemic endpoints, net adverse clinical event, and time between stenting and enrollment. Results Efficacy and safety endpoints for monotherapy were superior to combination therapy, with HRs of 0.70 for efficacy (95% CI: 0.50-0.98; P = 0.036) and 0.55 for safety (95% CI: 0.33-0.92; P = 0.019). For ischemic endpoints, the HR was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.58-1.15; P = 0.240). The HR became smaller with longer time between stenting and enrollment (efficacy, P for interaction = 0.158; safety, P = 0.097). Conclusions In patients with atrial fibrillation after coronary stenting, the benefits of rivaroxaban monotherapy for efficacy and safety endpoints were consistent with those in the whole AFIRE trial population. The benefits became apparent with longer time between stenting and enrollment. (Atrial Fibrillation and Ischemic Events With Rivaroxaban in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease Study [AFIRE]; UMIN000016612 , NCT02642419 )

Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) fatty rats, a new obese diabetic model, reportedly presented with features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) after 32 weeks of age. We tried to accelerate the onset of NASH in SDT fatty rats using dietary cholesterol loading and noticed changes in the blood choline level which is expected to be a NASH biomarker. Body weight and biochemical parameters were measured from 8 to 24 weeks of age. At 16, 20, 24 weeks, pathophysiological analysis of the livers were performed. Hepatic lipids, lipid peroxides, and the expression of mRNA related to triglyceride (TG) synthesis, inflammation, and fibrosis were evaluated at 24 weeks. Hepatic fibrosis was observed in SDT fatty rats fed cholesterol-enriched diets (SDT fatty-Cho) from 16 weeks. Furthermore, hepatic lipids and lipid peroxide were significantly higher in SDT fatty-Cho than SDT fatty rats fed normal diets at 24 weeks. Hepatic mRNA expression related to TG secretion decreased in SDT fatty-Cho, and the mRNA expression related to inflammation and fibrosis increased in SDT fatty-Cho at 24 weeks. Furthermore, SDT fatty-Cho presented with increased plasma choline, similar to human NASH. There were no significant changes in the effects of feeding a cholesterol-enriched diet in Sprague-Dawley rats. SDT fatty-Cho has the potential to become a valuable animal model for NASH associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Objective Application of immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) is considered an effective treatment strategy against persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. With the goal of developing improved therapeutic vaccination strategies for patients with tuberculosis (TB), we tested the ability of ex vivo-generated DCs to induce an effective TB antigen-specific type-1 immune response. Methods Monocyte-derived DCs from TB patients were induced to mature using a 'standard' cytokine cocktail (interleukin [IL] 1β, tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], IL-6 and prostaglandin E2) or a type 1-polarised DC (DC1) cocktail (IL-1β, TNF-α, interferon [IFN] α, IFN-γ and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid), and were loaded with the established TB antigen 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target protein (ESAT-6). Results Although DC1s from TB patients expressed the same levels of multiple co-stimulatory molecules (CD83, CD86, CD80 and CD40) as the standard DCs (sDCs), DC1s secreted substantially higher levels of IL-12p70. Furthermore, when DCs pulsed with or without ESAT-6 were cultured with lymphocytes from the same patients, DC1s induced much higher numbers of ESAT-6-specific IFN-γ-producing T-cells than sDCs, as manifested by their superior induction of natural killer cell activation and antigen-independent suppression of regulatory T-cells. Conclusion TB antigen-loaded DC1s are potent inducers of antigen-specific T-cells, which could be used to develop improved immunotherapies of TB.

A survival benefit of extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL) has been reported in patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology. The hypothesis of this study was that EIPL may reduce peritoneal recurrence in patients with advanced gastric cancer who undergo surgery with curative intent.This was an open-label, multi-institutional, randomized, phase 3 trial to assess the effects of EIPL versus standard treatment after curative gastrectomy for resectable gastric cancer of T3 status or above. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS); secondary endpoints were overall survival, peritoneal recurrence-free survival and incidence of adverse events.Between July 2011 and January 2014, 314 patients were enrolled from 15 institutions and 295 patients were analysed (145 and 150 in the EIPL and no-EIPL groups respectively). The 3-year DFS rate was 63·9 (95 per cent c.i. 55·5 to 71·2) per cent in the EIPL group and 59·7 (51·3 to 67·1) per cent in the control group (hazard ratio (HR) 0·81, 95 per cent c.i. 0·57 to 1·16; P = 0·249). The 3-year overall survival rate was 75·0 (67·1 to 81·3) per cent in the EIPL group and 73·7 (65·9 to 80·1) per cent in the control group (HR 0·91, 0·60 to 1·37; P = 0·634). Peritoneal recurrence-free survival was not significantly different between the two groups (HR 0·92, 0·62 to 1·36; P = 0·676). No intraoperative complications related to EIPL were observed.EIPL did not improve survival or peritoneal recurrence in patients who underwent gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer. Registration number: 000005907 (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm).Se ha descrito que un lavado peritoneal extenso intraoperatorio (extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage, EIPL) proporciona un beneficio en la supervivencia en pacientes con cáncer gástrico con citología peritoneal positiva. La hipótesis de este estudio era que el EIPL podría disminuir la recidiva peritoneal en pacientes con cáncer gástrico avanzado sometidos a cirugía con intención curativa. MÉTODOS: Ensayo clínico fase 3, abierto, multicéntrico y aleatorizado para evaluar los efectos de un lavado peritoneal extenso intraoperatorio (EIPL) frente a tratamiento estándar tras gastrectomía curativa por cáncer gástrico ≥T3 resecable. La variable de resultado primaria fue la supervivencia libre de enfermedad (disease-free survival, DFS), y las variables de resultado secundarias fueron la supervivencia global (overall survival, OS), la supervivencia libre de recidiva peritoneal y la incidencia de efectos adversos.Entre julio de 2011 y enero de 2014, se reclutaron 314 pacientes de 15 instituciones y se analizaron los datos de 295 pacientes (145 en el grupo con EIPL y 150 en el grupo sin EIPL). La DFS a los 3 años fue 63,9% (i.c. del 95% 55,5-71,2) en el grupo con EIPL y 59,7% (i.c. del 95% 51,3-67,1) en el grupo control (cociente de riesgos instantáneos, hazard ratio, HR 0,81 (i.c. del 95% 0,57-1,16), P = 0,249). La OS a los 3 años fue 75,0% (i.c. del 95% 67,1-81,3) en el grupo con EIPL y 73,7% (i.c. del 95% 65,9-80,1) en el grupo control (HR 0,91 i.c. del 95% 0,60-1,37), P = 0,634). No se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los dos grupos en la supervivencia libre de recidiva peritoneal (P = 0,676, HR 0,92 (i.c. del 95% 0,62-1,36). No se observaron complicaciones intraoperatorias relacionadas con EIPL. CONCLUSIÓN: El EIPL no mejoró la supervivencia o la recidiva peritoneal en pacientes sometidos a gastrectomía por cáncer gástrico avanzado.

著者人数: KAGRA Collaboration 203名 (所属. 宇宙航空研究開発機構宇宙科学研究所(JAXA)(ISAS): 和泉, 究), Number of authors: KAGRA collaboration 203 (Affiliation. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA)(ISAS): Izumi, Kiwamu), Accepted: 2019-06-11, 資料番号: SA1190107000

Background DAS28 (Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints) is widely used to determine remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The problems with DAS28 due to omission of the lower extremity joints have long been discussed. There are reports demonstrating that some patients meeting DAS28 remission criteria still have synovitis in their feet.1 It is suggested that patients with remaining foot synovitis can experience up to a 2-fold increase in relapse rates.2 Evidence supporting this hypothesis is still scarce. Objectives We hypothesised that RA patients in remission according to the DAS28 remission criterion with remaining foot synovitis are less likely to stay in remission. We aimed to test this hypothesis among Japanese patients with RA. Methods In 2015, 15,071 RA patients were registered in a large nationwide database in Japan (NinJa). Among those patients, those who were in remission based on DAS28-CRP were included. We used DAS28-CRP Results We included 706 RA patients in remission based on DAS28-CRP with foot synovitis in 2015 and 5182 without foot synovitis. Among patients with foot synovitis in 2015, 225 (31.9%) were not in remission in 2016 while among those without foot synovitis, 985 (19.0%) were not in remission. (X-squared=62.953, df=1, p=2.117 × 10–15) Conclusions In our study, RA patients in remission according to the DAS28 remission criterion with remaining foot synovitis had more relapses than those without it. Remission defined by DAS28-CRP does not take remaining foot synovitis into account. But a thorough foot examination may still be useful in RA patients with DAS28-CRP remission as they may be more at risk for relapse. References [1] van der Leeden, et al. Arthritis Res Ther. 2010;12,1:R3. [2] Wechalekar MD, et al. Arthritis Care Res. 2016;68,11:1616–1623. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background Early menopause may be a risk of developing RA1. Although there are many reports about menopause and the onset of RA, it is not yet clear how the disease activity of RA differs for each generation including menopause. Objectives To clarify how disease activity differs for each generation, especially in menopausal period. Methods Using the Japanese large RA cohort database (NinJa:National database of Rheumatic Diseases in Japan) of 2016, we divided 12257 RA females into three groups of age (under 44 years old=1, 45 to 55 years old=2, defined as a menopausal group, over 56 years old=3) and analysed them cross-sectionally. We conducted a one-way ANOVA on disease activity indexes such as Tender joint count (TJC), Swollen joint count (SJC), DAS28, HAQ-DI. Results Table 1 shows the number of people per group, the duration of disease, the titer of RF/ACPA, and the proportion of drugs used. The average usage of prednisone and the use of biologics was the most common in group 1. In table 2, TJC was the largest in group 2 (p Conclusions This study shows that TJC may increase during menopause, unlike other disease activity indicators. Especially in group 2, it is possible that the joints which can’t be evaluated at TJC 28 are affecting the results because in TJC, compared with TJC 28, there is a larger group difference. Although further studies are needed, an increase in TJC may reflect menopausal joint symptoms. Reference [1] Pikwer M, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012Mar;71(3):378–81. Disclosure of Interest None declared

To support the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the IPBES Expert Group on Scenarios and Models is carrying out an intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models using harmonized scenarios (BES-SIM). The goals of BES-SIM are (1) to project the global impacts of land-use and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services (i.e., nature's contributions to people) over the coming decades, compared to the 20th century, using a set of common metrics at multiple scales, and (2) to identify model uncertainties and research gaps through the comparisons of projected biodiversity and ecosystem services across models. BES-SIM uses three scenarios combining specific Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) – SSP1xRCP2.6, SSP3xRCP6.0, SSP5xRCP8.6 – to explore a wide range of land-use change and climate change futures. This paper describes the rationale for scenario selection, the process of harmonizing input data for land use, based on the second phase of the Land Use Harmonization Project (LUH2), and climate, the biodiversity and ecosystem services models used, the core simulations carried out, the harmonization of the model output metrics, and the treatment of uncertainty. The results of this collaborative modeling project will support the ongoing global assessment of IPBES, strengthen ties between IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios and modeling processes, advise the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on its development of a post-2020 strategic plans and conservation goals, and inform the development of a new generation of nature-centred scenarios. ISSN:1991-9603 ISSN:1991-959X

著者人数: 227名 (所属. 宇宙航空研究開発機構宇宙科学研究所(JAXA)(ISAS): 東谷, 千比呂), Number of authors: 227 (Affiliation. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA)(ISAS): Tokoku, Chihiro), Accepted: 2017-11-21, 資料番号: SA1170370000

Background Dietary and nutritional factors may modulate the onset and/or outcome and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)[1]. For instance, a potential contribution of sodium intake and the occurrence of autoimmunity has been suggested, however the role of sodium in disease activity of RA is unclear. Objectives To investigate the potential relationship between dietary intake and current medications and the disease activity of RA. Methods Patients with RA in outpatient clinic of National Hospital Organization, Sagamihara National Hospital (n=89, M/F=18/71, age 65.0±12.8 yo, mean disease duration 16.8±13.2 y) were enrolled to the study. A questionnaire regarding dietary habit and the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) were used to assess the relationship between clinical activity, status of medication and intake of each foodstuff and nutritional factors. The results were analyzed using IBM SPSS software using Pearson9s correlation test and Levene test. Results The number of current medication was found to weakly correlate with DAS-28 (r=0.386), and negatively with intake of ethanol (r=-0.277). When users of biological disease modulating anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) were compared with non-users, the biologics-taking patients tended to have higher intake of total energy and carbohydrates than non-users. Use of oral corticosteroids, nor other anti-rheumatic DMARDs, did not significantly impact the total energy or carbo intake in RA patients. Sodium intake did not correlate with the disease status or the number of medications. Conclusions Although salt intake has been suggested to evoke autoimmunity, the amount of dairy intake of salt does not significantly modulate the current disease activity of RA. Use of biologics, but not of corticosteroids, may lead to increased energy and carbohydrate intake in RA patients. References Mizukami Y, et al. Distinct Patterns of Dietary Intake in Different Functional Classes of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Topics in Clinical Nutrition (in press). Disclosure of Interest None declared

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) play a role in vascular complications in diabetes. We have previously shown that 17β-estradiol at 10 nmol/l, a nearly identical plasma concentration to that during mid-pregnancy, up-regulates RAGE expression in endothelial cells. The finding might suggest the involvement of 17β-estradiol in the deterioration of vascular complications in diabetes during pregnancy. However, the effects of the selective estrogen receptor modulator, bazedoxifene, on oxidative and inflammatory reactions in AGEs-exposed endothelial cells remain unknown. In this study, we addressed the issue. Ten nmol/l 17β-estradiol increased RAGE and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) gene and protein expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), both of which were blocked by 10 nmol/l bazedoxifene. Bazedoxifene at 10 nmol/l also significantly inhibited the AGEs-induced superoxide generation, RAGE and MCP-1 gene and protein expression in HUVECs. The present study suggests that blockade of the AGEs-RAGE axis by bazedoxifene might be a novel therapeutic target for preventing vascular damage in diabetes, especially in postmenopausal women.

To understand the population dynamics of tree populations at the range limit of a species’ range, it is important to determine which population size and disturbance regime are critical to genetic diversity. Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata Blume) is a major canopy tree species of cool-temperate forests in Japan, with the northernmost distribution reaching the Kuromatsunai Depression in southwestern Hokkaido, Japan. We examined the genetic variation and dynamics of three beech forests, with different disturbance history and population attributions in the northernmost population. The Tsubamenosawa (TSU) and Sannosuke (SAN), both natural forest, have historically experienced little artificial disturbance, whereas the Soibetsu (SOI), a secondary forest, was intensively logged, and thus strongly disturbed in the past. In total, 35 alleles were detected among 12 loci, encoding 9 enzyme systems. At TSU, He and RS were 0.141 and 2.280, respectively. At SAN, He and RS were 0.142 and 2.604, respectively. At SOI were 0.182 and 2.628, respectively. Parameters of genetic diversity changed with population size, small isolated population indicated low values. Gene flow distance for low density mature trees in the natural forests was greater than that for high-density secondary forest. However, effective population sizes (Ne) were 34.7, 64.3 and 60.3 in TSU, SAN and SOI, respectively, reflecting differences in the density of mature individuals. The results suggested that the population with the low density of mature trees kept genetic diversity through long distance gene flow. The mature tree density affected the effective population size in the northernmost beech populations.

SH2D1A, also known as signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM)-associated protein (SAP), is an adaptor protein. Recently, it was reported that SAP deficient mice were protected from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we postulated SH2D1A gene to be a candidate susceptibility gene for SLE and analyzed its association with SLE. A case-control association study was conducted on 5 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SH2D1A region in 506 Japanese female SLE patients and 330 healthy female controls. The luciferase assay was performed to determine the functional role of the SNP associated with SLE. One SNP in the intron 2, rs2049995, showed association with SLE ( p = 0.0110, odds ratio (OR) 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–3.34, under the dominant model). The association of rs2049995 seemed to be stronger in the subset with the age of onset less than 20 years ( p = 0.0067, OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.28–5.46). Functional evaluation of rs2049995 showed that reporter gene activity was increased 1.9-fold for the susceptible allele compared with the resistant allele. An intronic SNP of SH2D1A is associated with SLE.

The purpose of this studywas to clarify the effects of using wood products in older persons' environment by means of an intervention study. The participants were 44 older persons in a single assisted-living facility. Evaluators ob- served the participants' behavior at 5 points: (1) not using any products (baseline), (2) using plastic tables and chairs, (3) using wood tables and chairs, (4) using wood tableware, (5) continually using wood products for 5 weeks. Health care pro- fessionals evaluated the older persons' health status and activities of daily liv ing through regular observation.The results indicated that regular use of wood products significantly increased the social interactionand activity levels of the elder. Thus, use of wood products may enhance the possibility of preventing mental and physical decline in the frail elderly.

Bioethanol plays a significant role to mitigate global warming and reduce fossil fuel consumption if it is properly produced. For this, agro-residue is a potentially sustainable feedstock for obtaining bioethanol, regarding its conflict-free property to food production. The study focuses on the optimization of bioethanol plant allocation, considering the distribution and efficiency of agricultural residues, as well as energy demand–supply balance. As a case study, Ecuador was selected due to its high agricultural yield and also its need to develop new alternatives of energy. The location of bioethanol plants and feedstock selection were optimized to minimize life cycle CO2 emission through feedstock collection, biorefinery and product delivery processes for the different plant number cases, from 1 to 7 and for E5, E10 and E15 production scenarios. The 7-plant case for E15 scenario showed the minimum CO2 emission and energy consumption. On the other hand, electricity and heat cogeneration by using excess of crop residue for the bioethanol production process was proved to reduce the carbon emission significantly. Moreover, only 20.3 % of sugar cane bagasse and 9 % of corn stover are necessary to cover the demand for E5, E10 and E15 scenario, which are about 1.9, 3.9 and 5.9 % of the total biomass potential respectively. According to the results, Ecuador owns a great biomass potential from agricultural residues, which can be converted into bioethanol or other energy carriers such as power and heat, either from the lignin byproduct of the conversion process or by harnessing the unused biomass residues.

Domestic animals, including ruminants, can synthesize vitamin C (VC) in their liver; as such, the dietary requirement for VC has not been confirmed in these animals. The adequacy of VC has been evaluated by quantifying VC levels in plasma, but the reported values in bovine plasma have been widely variable. Plasma VC concentration is decreased by heat stress, hepatic lesions, fattening, and infectious diseases such as mastitis in cattle. Therefore, VC supplementation is potentially beneficial for cattle with low plasma VC concentration. This review discusses the methods for determination of plasma VC concentration in cattle, VC nutrition, and the efficacy of VC supplementation in calves, dairy cattle, and beef cattle. Additionally I propose a reference range for plasma VC concentration in Japanese Black cattle.

Background We examined the relationship between the improved physical activity by early rehabilitation and the duration of hospitalization among patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods Thirteen allo-HSCT patients with myeloablative conditioning regimens (group A) and 13 patients with nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens (group B) were assessed retrospectively in this study. All patients received physical exercise immediately after neutrophil engraftment at the class 10,000 bioclean room (class 10,000). The mean daily steps at class 10,000 were measured as a substitute for the amount of physical activity, and the duration of hospitalization as one of the clinical outcomes. Results The degree of physical activity showed a negative correlation with the duration of hospitalization in group A (r = −.71; P = .0071), regardless of complications such as acute graft-versus-host disease, infections, and cytomegalovirus reactivation. However, there was no significant association in group B (r = .09; P = .77). Conclusion The improved physical activity through early rehabilitation may be an independent, favorable prognostic factor for allo-HSCT patients with myeloablative conditioning regimens.

We examined the usefulness of neutrophil CD64 expression in detecting local musculoskeletal infection and the impact of antibiotics on its expression. Of 141 patients suspected of musculoskeletal infection, 46 were confirmed by microbiological culture to be infected and 95 had infection excluded. The median CD64 count of patients with localised infection was 2230 molecules per cell (interquartile range (IQR) 918 to 4592) and that of the patients without infection was 937 molecules per cell (IQR 648 to 1309) (p < 0.001). The level of CD64 correlated with the CRP level in patients with infection, but not in those without infection (r = 0.59, p < 0.01). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis revealed that CD64 was a good predictor of local infection. When the patients were subdivided into two groups based on the administration of antibiotics at the time of CD64 sampling, the sensitivity for detecting infection was better in those who had not received antibiotics. These results suggest that measurement of CD64 expression is a useful marker for local musculoskeletal infection.

Natural analogs for the long-term corrosion behavior of over-pack materials, such as carbon steel data concerning the extent of corrosion from archaeological iron artifacts buried in soil,...

Metamaterial is an artificial material in which the effective phase constant can be controlled by the internal physical periodic structure of the transmission line. Effective phase constant is designed to be of any value, which may be small, large, approximately zero, or negative, attained by changing the dimensions of the periodic structure. Miniaturization of the antenna and wide design flexibility of radiation patterns can be expected from the use of metamaterials. In this work, we developed a leaky-wave slot-array antenna on a variable stub-loaded left-handed waveguide. The radiation pattern of the fabricated antenna was measured and the characteristics of the left-handed transmission line were observed. Moreover, performance of beam-scanning by changing the length of the stubs on the waveguide was confirmed experimentally.

We have investigated the effects of stray magnetic field upon a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) system, which consists of a single pole type head and a double-layered perpendicular medium. We found that fields in the plane of the disk could cause serious erasure. External magnetic flux concentrates around the edges of a return pole and can cause very large fields to appear in the medium. In addition, the writing operation significantly enhances this erasure. We called this kind of erasure "corner erasure." Experimental 2.5-inch hard disk drives (HDDs) were used to study the combined effect of the external field and write field. We checked SER degradation after applying an in-plane field of 0.8 kA/m (10 Oe). With no write-current applied, there is no degradation. However, as little as 0.8 kA/m (10 Oe) applied during writing causes severe degradation equivalent to that produced by a 4.0 kA/m (50 Oe) field applied when the head is reading on-track. It is concluded that the realization of PMR in commercial HDD would require new transducer designs to solve these problems. We devised a new return pole design which has a stepped-back wing to improve the robustness against in-plane stray fields. The alternative design greatly reduces the concentration of magnetic flux at the edges of return pole. Consequently, the stepped wing structure achieves about twice the robustness of the conventional rectangular return pole. A method was developed to allow external field sensitivity to be carefully checked. The method allows the degraded areas of data to be associated with the exact feature on the head that caused the problem

近年, カプセル内視鏡 (VCE) に加え, ダブルバルーン小腸内視鏡 (DBE) が進歩し小腸病変を内視鏡で直接観察する時代になった. そのため, 従来法であるX線検査と新しい内視鏡検査の比較が盛んである. 本稿では, X線検査がこれまで果たしてきた役割に加え, 小腸内視鏡による診断能との比較に焦点をおいて総説的に述べた. 小腸出血には新しい内視鏡検査が絶対的に有用である. 腫瘍性病変にはスクリーニング検査目的にはVCEが有用であり, 診断確定にはX線検査も必要なことがある. 炎症性疾患では, 平坦あるいは潰瘍性病変で狭窄をともなわない場合には内視鏡検査により詳細な診断が可能である. しかし, Crohn病などの狭窄や炎症性変化が強い場合には内視鏡検査よりX線検査の役割がより大きいと思われる. さらにCT-enterography (CTE) も診断能が向上しつつあり今後の活用が期待できる.

Aerosols and their effects on clouds and precipitation are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle. Cloud-system resolving models (CRMs) with explicit microphysics can allow interactive processes between aerosols, cloud and precipitation for convective precipitation systems, hurricanes and other severe weather systems. CRMs can be used to improve our understanding of: (1) the impact of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and Ice nuclei (IN) on cloud and precipitation microphysics and (2) the associated important cloud dynamic processes. High-resolution observations from remote sensing would be a necessary part of the CRM validation through state-of-the-art multi-instrument satellite simulators.

Laboratory measurements of the absorption cross-section of the Schumann–Runge continuum of O 2 at the temperatures 90 and 295 K have been made in the wavelength region 130–175 nm. The absolute absorption cross-sections at the same temperatures have been measured at several discrete wavelengths through the region. The absolute cross-sections of the O 2 continuum have been used to put relative cross-sections on a firm absolute basis throughout the region 130–175 nm. These recalibrated cross-sections are available as numerical compilations.

In this paper, we have presented the double-layered coplanar patch antennas of enhanced impedance bandwidth and adjustable conductor-backed coplanar waveguide feed lines. The proposed structure retains the advantage of laying the coplanar patch and coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed line on the same surface, which makes direct integration with other devices easier. In addition, the substrate thickness of the radiating patch can be adjusted to achieve a wider impedance bandwidth while the dimensions of the CPW feed line are kept unchanged. Simulation has been done by using commercial electromagnetic (EM) simulation software. Four testing antennas, which have centre frequency at about 10 GHz, were designed. The four testing antennas had the same total thickness, but different thickness combinations. From the measured return loss, gain, and radiation patterns of the antennas, it was demonstrated that different thickness combinations do not affect the characteristics of the antennas seriously. Therefore, the dimensions of the CPW feed structure of the antennas can be adjusted individually and can be selected for different applications.

Summary Background The itch sensation and the resultant response, scratching, are important symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) and have a significant impact on the quality of life of affected patients. However, the influence of the itch–scratch response on the pathology of AD has not been precisely elucidated. Objectives To investigate the role of scratching behaviour in the development of spontaneous dermatitis using conventionally raised NC/Nga mice (Conv-NC mice), which are known to be an animal model for human AD. Methods Capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves of the mice were ablated by neonatal capsaicin treatment (Cap-NC mice), and the development of spontaneous dermatitis in the Cap-NC mice was compared chronologically with that in Conv-NC mice. Results Scratching behaviour was almost completely prevented in Cap-NC mice raised for 84 days under conventional conditions, and the development of dermatitis and elevation of the serum IgE level were significantly suppressed. Histological analysis revealed that the numbers of infiltrating eosinophils and mast cells in the lesional skin of Cap-NC mice were lower than those in Conv-NC mice. Immunological studies showed that the capability of spleen T cells to produce both T-helper (Th) 1 (interferon-γ) and Th2 [interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13] cytokines was diminished in Cap-NC mice. Furthermore, serum levels of IL-18 were approximately twice higher in Conv-NC mice than in Cap-NC mice. Conclusions These observations suggest that scratching behaviour contributes to the development of dermatitis by enhancing various immunological responses in the murine AD model, implying that prevention of the itch sensation and/or itch-associated scratching behaviour is an effective treatment for AD.

We have studied Si-doping profiles of InN films grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy and their photoluminescence (PL) properties. We confirmed experimentally that Si acts as a donor in InN. Undoped and Si-doped InN films with electron densities (n) of 1.6 × 10 18 - 1.4 × 10 19 cm -3 showed clear n dependences of PL properties. The PL peak shifted to the higher energy side with increasing n, and the PL intensity decreased with increasing n. These were characteristics of degenerated semiconductors with a large density of defects and/or dislocations. The band-gap energy of degenerated InN films with n = 1.6 × 10 18 - 4.7 × 10 18 cm -3 was estimated to be about 0.6 eV by assuming a nonparabolic conduction band and a constant band-renormalization effect. By taking the band-gap shrinkage of about 20 meV due to the conduction-band renormalization into account, we suggest that the band-gap energy of intrinsic InN is 0.6-0.65 eV.

The photoabsorption spectrum of the O 2 Schumann–Runge bands was measured with resolution comparable to the Doppler widths by using the VUV Fourier transform spectrometer from Imperial College, London, combined with synchrotron radiation as a continuum light source at the Photon Factory, KEK, Japan. The analysis of the (12,0)–(17,0) bands of the Schumann–Runge system provides accurate rotational line positions as well as the line intensities from 185 to 175 nm. Molecular constants of the v ′ =12 to 17 levels of the B 3 Σ u − state have been determined. The ( v ′ ,0) band oscillator strengths were determined as 2.38, 2.62, 2.70, 2.66, 2.40, and 2.12×10 −5 for the bands from v ′ =12 to 17, respectively.

A novel optoelectronic input/output interface module termed "active interposer" and polymeric waveguide film lamination technologies have been developed for optical interconnects between large-scale integration chips. The fabricated active interposers comprise vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, metal-semiconductor-metal photodiodes, submount, and Si circuits stacked via through-hole electrodes built inside the optoelectronic devices and submounted to achieve high-speed low-crosstalk noise and high-density interconnect performances. Also, waveguide film lamination technologies developed are capable of cost reductions. This paper describes the prototype demonstration of the active interposers assembled on the waveguide film-laminated printed circuit boards. Processing and test results of the fabricated optoelectronic devices suitable for three-dimensional stacking are also addressed.

The purpose of this study is to develop a non-contact method to evaluate the heart and respiratory rates simultaneously using a single optical sensor which can be used without the removal of clothes before a decontamination procedure in biochemical hazards. We measured the heart and respiratory rates with and without clothes to assess the vital sign monitoring before decontamination. In order to monitor the heart and respiratory rates of rabbits simultaneously, the respiratory and cardiac peaks were separated using fast Fourier transform from a 5 mW helium-neon laser (wavelength 632.8 nm) reflected off the chest walls of rabbits. A cloth (50 mm x 50 mm, 2 mm thick) was placed on the chest of the rabbits to simulate the vital sign monitoring with clothes. The heart rate measured using this method agreed with the rate derived from an electrocardiogram (r = 0.82, p0.05). The respiratory rate correlated with the manually measured respirator rate (r = 0.93, p0.05). This method appears promising as a non-contact method for monitoring the heart and respiratory rates of patients under biochemically hazardous conditions.

We found that inserting a low-temperature-grown layer of GaN between a low-temperature-grown InN buffer layer and a sapphire substrate was an effective way of improving structural and electrical properties of InN films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The surface of a 260 nm thick InN film grown under the optimum condition was smooth, with a surface root-mean-square roughness of less than 4 nm. The Hall mobility of the InN film at room temperature was greater than 1500 cm2/Vs with an electron density of less than 2.0 × 1018 cm–3.